Currently, France has an estimated population of 70 million people (Dreyfuss, 2017). France has a centuries-old law that prohibits the country from holding a census to determine the population of the country in terms of race, religion and ethnic group. Even so, it is estimated that 85 percent of France’s citizens are European and 10 percent are from North Africa, 3.5% are black while 1.5 percent are Asian (Zimmermann, 2017). The dominant language of France is French. While the majority speaks French, about 3% speak German. Moreover, French Citizens who live close to the borders speak Italian, Spanish and other languages depending on their closeness with the respective countries. 64 percent of the residents practice Roman Catholic, while approximately 24 do not subscribe to any religion (Zimmermann, 2017). France also has a negligible number of Muslims, Judaists, and Buddhists. Due to the dominance of Europeans, other ethnic groups do not have a say on political matters in France.
In as far as multiculturalism politics is concerned, a parliamentary system of governance is the best. In a presidential system, such as France, where the president is elected directly by the electorates, the voice of the minority cannot be heard because they cannot marshal enough numbers to elect a president from amongst them. Contrastingly, a parliamentary system ensures that the voice of the minority is heard through parliament. Parliamentary systems enhance economic development and human development. Countries such as France have failed to protect the rights of minorities due to its presidential system. The lack of accurate minorities’ population statistics is making it difficult for France to track racial progress and racial discrimination. These minorities need more protection than the majority because they are vulnerable to all sorts of mistreatment.
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References
Dreyfuss, J. (2017, June 12). Why it’s so hard for minorities in France to find safe spaces .
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/06/12/why-its-so-hard-for-minorities-in-france-to-find-safe-spaces/
Zimmermann, K. A. (2017, June 22). French Culture: Customs & Traditions . Live Science:
https://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html
