Minister of the Interior (France)

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The Minister of the Interior (full title Ministre de l’Intérieur et de l’Aménagement du Territoire) in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:

The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes
- including the major law-enforcement forces (see Police in France)
  - the French National Police
  - the French Gendarmerie for most operational purposes
- Civil defence and Security Directorate - Securite Civile
  - the sub-directorate of Sapeurs-Pompiers or Firefighters
the granting of identity documents (passports, identity cards) and driving licenses through the network of préfectures;
relations between the central government and local governments;
logistics and organization of political elections, at the national and prefectoral levels (but the results of the elections are overseen by the Constitutional Council or the administrative courts);
all départemental préfets and sub-prefects are subordinate to the Minister of the Interior.
The Minister of Interior is also Ministre des cultes and is formally consulted in the process of appointment of Catholic diocesan bishops (Briand-Ceretti Agreement).

The entrance to the Ministry in Place Beauvau is guarded by one gendarme (to the left) and one policewoman (to the right). Joint gendarmerie/police guard duty was seen as a way to bridge the differences between the services.

While the ministry of the Interior supervises police forces, it does not supervise criminal enquiries; criminal enquiries are conducted under the supervision of the judiciary.

The current Minister of the Interior is Michèle Alliot-Marie, who succeeded François Baroin.