Council of Five Hundred

The Council of Five Hundred ( Conseil des Cinq- Cents) and the Council of Elders ( Conseil des Anciens ) were since the introduction of Direktionalverfassung from 1795 until the introduction of the Constitution Consulate end 1799, the two chambers of the French Parliament.

Suffrage

The new constitution of 1795 saw in response to the reign of terror before a limited right to vote. It was introduced indirect election by electors. By linking to a tax census, the number of registered voters decreased from seven to five million of the male citizens. The passive suffrage was, however, limited to a small group of high- Taxed.

The legislature was three years. Here, a third of the deputies retired each year. Their seats had to be filled by new elections.

Composition

The Parliament has 750 seats. Of that total, 711 from France itself and the rest of the colonies. From the deputies elected Members who were older than forty years old, married or widowed, have been consolidated in the Council of Elders. This chamber had 250 deputies. From it was expected a moderating influence.

Powers

The legislative power was divided between two chambers. The Council of Five Hundred had the right of legislative initiative. The Council of Elders could accept or reject the bills.

Both chambers had also in the cast of the Executive, the Executive Board, with. The Council of Five Hundred proposed the Directors, the Council of Elders has chosen this then.

Relation to the executive

Legislative and executive powers were strictly separated. Board members were not allowed to be members of the parliament. The Board was not even allowed to attend the meetings of the popular assembly. It also had no right of dissolution or adjournment. Conversely, the deputies were able to exert any influence on the course of government business.

History

The limitation of the right could not prevent the parliamentary majority fell in contrast to the Board. The unclear relationship of powers between parliament and the government was a factor of political instability. In 1797 strengthened the royalists in parliament. The result was the coup d'etat of the 18th Fructidor V and the formation of a triumvirate of Paul de Barras and the removal of the Royalists from Parliament. Another procedure was followed on May 11, 1798 as a Jacobin and rights were replaced by moderate deputies. After returning from Egypt began Napoleon and his allies with the preparation of another coup. An important factor was the election of his brother Lucien Bonaparte as President of the Council of Five Hundred. The resistance against the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire by the Members of the Council of the Five Hundred was Lucien Bonaparte break through troops vacated the meeting hall. Later a part of the deputies of the amendment to the Constitution and the introduction of the Consulate has agreed.