Political architecture
Define nine coherent portfolios and verify that no public mission is left without a responsible authority.
Plan de Rupture legal file
Legal file 1.03: how can a government of nine ministries be formed?
Reducing the Government to nine ministries is legally possible without amending the Constitution. But the appointment decree is only the beginning: powers, administrations, budgets and accountability must then be reassigned.
The constitutional rule
The Constitution does not prescribe a fixed number of ministers. The President appoints the Prime Minister and, on the Prime Minister’s proposal, the other members of the Government. The Government determines and conducts national policy, while the Prime Minister directs government action and normally exercises regulatory power.
What must actually be produced
Appointment decree
The President appoints ministers on the proposal of the Prime Minister.
Attribution decrees
They are deliberated in the Council of Ministers and define each minister’s portfolio.
Reporting lines
Directorates, operators, budget programmes and supervisory responsibilities must be reassigned.
Legal continuity
Signatures, contracts, procedures and pending decisions must remain valid during the transition.
Measuring savings
The number of ministers is only one indicator; structures, cabinets and support functions must actually shrink.
Illustrative nine-ministry architecture
Justice
Courts, prisons and access to law.
Interior and territories
Security, local government, overseas territories and territorial administration.
Armed forces
National defence and veterans.
Europe and foreign affairs
Diplomacy, European affairs and international cooperation.
Economy and sovereignty
Budget, industry, energy, trade and digital affairs.
Health, labour and solidarity
Health, social protection, employment and autonomy.
Education, research and culture
Schools, universities, research, youth and heritage.
Agriculture and infrastructure
Food, environment, housing, transport and spatial planning.
Public transformation
Civil service, simplification, data, evaluation and modernisation.
This is a working architecture. The Plan de Rupture still requires detailed decisions on reporting lines, especially for overseas affairs, housing, sport and cross-government functions.
Documents to prepare
| Document | Purpose | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Decree on government composition | Appoint the nine ministers and remove delegated portfolios | President, on the Prime Minister’s proposal |
| Nine attribution decrees | Allocate powers and supervisory responsibilities | Decrees deliberated in the Council of Ministers |
| Organisation decrees and orders | Reorganise central administrations | Prime Minister and competent ministers |
| Budget measures | Transfer appropriations, staff ceilings and programme responsibilities | Government and Parliament depending on the instrument |
| Transitional instructions | Preserve continuity of signatures and procedures | Prime Minister, Government Secretariat and ministries |