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In which case can a judge take away a person's civic and political rights?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: When the person is sentenced to prison. A judge can take away the civic and political rights of a citizen sentenced to prison. A crime like murder is punished by prison. Civic rights include, for example, the right to stand in an election.
Sources: Sheet “Les conditions pour voter en France (1/2)” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✓ When the person is sentenced to prisonQuand elle est condamnée à une peine de prisonCorrect answer. A judge can take away the civic and political rights of a citizen sentenced to prison. A crime like murder is punished by prison. Civic rights include, for example, the right to stand in an election.
- ✗ When the person does not vote in an electionQuand elle ne vote pas à une électionVoting is not compulsory: it is a right.
- ✗ When the person commits a contravention, like speedingQuand elle fait une contravention, comme un excès de vitesseA contravention is punished by a fine, with no prison sentence.
- ✗ When the person changes religionQuand elle change de religionPeople are free to believe, to stop believing or to change religion.
What the source says
« Un citoyen puni par la loi (condamné à une peine d’emprisonnement) peut être privé de ses droits civiques et politiques. »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « Dans quel cas un juge peut-il priver une personne de ses droits civiques et politiques ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “Lequel de ces crimes ou délits peut entrainer la privation des droits civils et politiques par un juge ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Les conditions pour voter en France (1/2)” (French).
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