Key Moments: Checks and Balances Evolution

1971: Constitutional Council asserts rights protection role, fundamentally altering Fifth Republic's balance.

1974: Parliamentary minorities gain constitutional referral right, democratizing constitutional review.

1981-1986: First alternation tests institutions, proving system's adaptability to political change.

1993: Balladur government creates first independent authorities, importing Anglo-Saxon regulatory model.

2000: Referendum on quinquennat despite parliamentary opposition shows direct democracy checking representative institutions.

2008: Constitutional reform strengthens Parliament and creates QPC, rebalancing institutions.

2017: Successive transparency laws following scandals illustrate media and civil society checking power.