President of the Council (France)

Prime Minister of France Premier ministre français
Logo of the French Government
Incumbent Bernard Cazeneuve since 6 December 2016
Style	His/Her Excellency
Member of	Cabinet Council of State
Reports to	President of the Republic and to Parliament
Residence	Hôtel Matignon
Seat	Paris, France
Appointer	President of the Republic
Term length	No fixed term Remains in office while commanding the confidence of the National Assembly and the President of the Republic
Constituting instrument	Constitution of 4 October 1958
Precursor	Several incarnations since the Ancien Régime
Formation	1958
First holder	Michel Debré
Salary	14,910 euros/month
Website	www.gouvernement.fr

The French Prime Minister (French: Premier ministre français) in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. During the Third and Fourth Republics, the head of government position was called President of the Council of Ministers (French: Président du Conseil des Ministres), generally shortened to President of the Council (French: Président du Conseil).

The Prime Minister proposes a list of ministers to the President of the Republic. Decrees and decisions of the Prime Minister, like almost all executive decisions, are subject to the oversight of the administrative court system. Few decrees are taken after advice from the Council of State (French: Conseil d'État). All prime ministers defend the programs of their ministry, and make budgetary choices. The extent to which those decisions lie with the Prime Minister or President depends upon whether they are of the same party.

Manuel Valls was appointed to lead the government in a cabinet reshuffle in March 2014, after the ruling Socialists suffered a bruising defeat in local elections. However, he resigned on 6 December 2016, to stand in the French Socialist Party presidential primary, 2017 and Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed as Prime Minister later that day by President François Hollande.

The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic. The President can choose whomever they want. While prime ministers are usually chosen from amongst the ranks of the National Assembly, on rare occasions the President has selected a non-officeholder because of their experience in bureaucracy or foreign service, or their success in business management — Dominique de Villepin, for example, served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2007 without ever having held an elected office.