Hello from France! The first thing to know about our political system is that France is a democratic republic, which means that the president and the council members are elected directly by the population with the condition of being at least 18 years old and French.
Here presidents are elected for five years. The last election was this year, in April. It had the last president, Emmanuel Macron, against the ultra right wing candidate, Marine Le Pen. Emmanuel Macron won, so it is now his second mandate as president. Here, when a president wins an election, they become president right away: there is no delay like in the USA.
France is divided into counties but these are much smaller than in the US. Each city or village has a mayor whose job it is to administer their city or village.
On an international level, France is part of the European Union and the Schengen Space which gives France and its inhabitants certain privileges: for example, as a part of the Schengen Space, we can travel between countries that are a part of this space without showing any passport.
I hope you learned more about the political system of France and I hope I can learn more about your countries by reading your articles!
- Ines Latrille - France (near Paris)