Some decrees are taken after advice from the Council of State (French: Conseil d'État), over which the prime minister is entitled to preside.

[5] One example of cohabitation includes President François Mitterrand's appointment of Jacques Chirac as prime minister after the legislative election of 1986.

Additionally, Article 20[6] stipulates that the government "shall determine and conduct the policy of the Nation", and it includes domestic issues, while the president concentrates on formulating directions on national defense and foreign policy while arbitrating the efficient service of all governmental authorities in France.

During cohabitation, according to the Constitutional Council, "the center of gravity of power shifts from the Elysée to Matignon",[7] with the president losing his status as head of the executive.

The president of the council was vested with similar formal powers to those of the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Under the circumstances, the president of the council was usually a fairly weak figure whose strength was more dependent on charisma than formal powers.

After several unsuccessful attempts to strengthen the role in the first half of the twentieth century, a semi-presidential system was introduced under the Fifth Republic.

The 1958 Constitution includes several provisions intended to strengthen the prime minister's position, for instance by restricting the legislature's power to censure the government.

At the ensuing 1962 French legislative election, de Gaulle's coalition won an increased majority, and Pompidou was reappointed prime minister.