The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on October 5, 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing a parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system.

Foundation

The trigger for the collapse of the French Fourth Republic was the Algiers crisis of 1958. Still a colonial power, conflict and revolt had begun the process of decolonization. French West Africa, French Indochina, and French Algeria still sent representatives to the French parliament under systems of limited suffrage in the French Union. Algeria in particular, the colony with the largest French population, saw rising pressure for separation from the Metropole. The situation was complicated by those in Algeria who wanted to stay part of France, so the Algerian War became not just a separatist movement but had elements of a civil war. Further complications came when a section of the French army rebelled and openly backed the "Algérie française" movement to defeat separation.

Charles de Gaulle, who had retired from politics a decade before, placed himself in the midst of the crisis, calling on the nation to suspend the government and create a constitutional system. De Gaulle was carried to power by the inability of the parliament to choose a government, popular protest, and the last parliament of the Fourth Republic voting for their dissolution and the convening of a constitutional convention. De Gaulle condemned militant attacks committed in both Algeria and mainland France but angered the rebel section of the army and "Algérie française" supporters, including the latter-day Front National leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, by arranging a peace with the nationalist rebels. Algeria became independent on July 5, 1962.

The Fourth Republic suffered from little political consensus, a weak executive, and governments forming and falling in quick succession since the Second World War. With no party or coalition able to sustain a parliamentary majority, Prime Ministers found themselves unable to risk their political position with unpopular reforms. De Gaulle and his supporters proposed a system of strong executive presidents elected for seven-year terms. The President under the proposed constitution would have executive powers to run the country in consultation with a prime minister whom he would appoint from each elected parliament.

These plans were approved by 79.2% of those who voted in a referendum on September 28, 1958. Since each new constitution establishes a new republic, France moved from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic.

1960s

The president was initially elected by an electoral college, but in 1962 de Gaulle proposed that the president should be directly elected by the citizens in a referendum. Although the method and intents of de Gaulle in that referendum were contested by most political groups except for the Gaullists, the change was approved by the French electorate.

The president is now elected every five years (changed from seven in 2002) in two rounds of voting. The first round is open to all candidates and will establish a president if any candidate gets an overall majority. If there is no winner in the first round, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes go to a second round.

Fifth Republic: Presidents

Gaullists are in blue, socialists in red.

Fifth Republic: Prime ministers

Prime Ministers

See also

• Constitution of France
• French First Republic (1792?1804)
• French Second Republic (1848?1852)
• French Third Republic (1870?1940)
• French Fourth Republic (1946?1958)
• Government of France
• Politics of France

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