Authors: Duhamel & Mény
Summary: This entry of about 530 words is defined only from a juridical perspective and it is restricted to the French case. Once defined "legislature as the time period during which an assembly exerts collectively its powers", the remaining of the entry addresses the moments of the assembly installation and dissolution (naturally, it refers only to the French system, where the Assemblâe Nationale, whose legislature is five-year long, can be dissolved and then re-elected, but not the Senate that has a five-year duration. This contrasts with the Italian case, where both chambers have the same five-year duration and are dissolved at the same time).
The President of the Republic is entitled with the right to dissolve the assembly; when this happens the collective organs remain in office to ensure administrative continuity and the newly elected members take office in the very moment of their election. In the case of a normal end of the legislature, the newly elected assembly acquires full powers in the first ordinary session. The entry closes with a brief list of the last eight French legislatures, only four of which have survived till the end of their mandate.