Q. Critically examine the procedures through which the Presidents of India and France are elected.

Model Answer: 

President of India

President of India is elected through an indirect election process, in which an electoral college consisting of the elected members of the Parliament and the state legislative assemblies elects the President. The President is elected by a system of proportional representation through a single transferable vote.

To be eligible to contest the presidential election, a candidate must be a citizen of India, at least 35 years old, and must not hold any office of profit under the government of India or any state. The nomination of a candidate for the presidential election must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 electors as seconders.

The President of France

The President of France, on the other hand, is elected through a direct election process in which the citizens of France cast their votes to elect the President. To be eligible to contest the presidential election, a candidate must be a French citizen, at least 18 years old, and must not have any disqualification specified in the Constitution.

The presidential election in France is conducted in two rounds. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority of votes in the first round, a second round is held between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes in the first round. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the second round is declared the President.

In both India and France, the President is the head of state and exercises ceremonial duties. However, the President of France has more powers and responsibilities compared to the President of India, as the President of France also serves as the head of the government and appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Overall, India and France have parliamentary and presidential system of government respectively. Also, the procedures through which the Presidents are elected differ significantly.