French political parties and democracy

French parties have traditionally been unloved, and they suffer from low membership, weak links with civil society, as well as low levels of trust. Dissatisfaction with governing parties and voter volatility, fuelled by populisms, have brought about changes to the party system, with a strong centre, strong extremes, and weak centre-right and centre-left parties. Faced with challenges associated with low membership and a crisis of legitimacy, some parties have made efforts attract citizens by opening up their candidate selection processes but rowed back on these efforts when their fortune declined. Overall, French parties remain central to French democracy, providing candidates for elected office and a wide range of policy options to voters, but they struggle to fulfil their functions of linkage and mobilisation.