President of the French Republic
National Emblem of the French Republic
Incumbent: Nicolas Sarkozy
Inaugural	Charles Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte
Formation	December 20, 1848
Website	www.elysee.fr

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The President of the French Republic (French: Président de la République française) colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state

Four of France's five republics have had presidents as their heads of state, making the French presidency the oldest presidency in Europe still to exist in some form. In each of the republics' constitutions, the president's powers, functions and duties, and their relation with French governments differed. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity

For details about the French system of government see Government of France. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares

The president of France is also the ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, Grand Master of the Légion d'honneur and the Ordre national du Mérite and honorary canon of the St. John Lateran Basilica. This is a list of Co-Princes of Andorra. The Principality of Andorra, in the Pyrenees Mountains on the French – Spanish border Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western The The National Order of Merit (in French Ordre national du Mérite) is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of the French Republic. The Basilica of St John Lateran ( Italian: Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the Cathedral of the church of Rome and the official

The current President of the Republic is Nicolas Sarkozy, from 16 May 2007. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

See also: List of Presidents of the French Republic

Current presidential powers

The French Fifth Republic is a semi-presidential system. Second French Republic (1848-1852 President of the Provisional Government of the Republic Jacques Charles Dupont de l'Eure (24 February 1848 See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration Unlike many other European presidents, the office of the French President is quite powerful. Although it is the Prime Minister of France and parliament that oversee much of the nation's actual lawmaking, the French President wields significant influence. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those The president holds the nation's most senior office, and outranks all other politicians.

Summary

The president's greatest power is his or her ability to choose the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers However, since only the French National Assembly has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister's government, the president is forced to name a prime minister that commands the support of the majority of this assembly. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”)

• When the majority of the Assembly has opposite political views to that of the president, this leads to political cohabitation. Cohabitation in government occurs in Semi-presidential systems such as France 's system when the President is from a different Political party In that case, the president's power is diminished, since much of the de facto power relies on a supportive prime minister and National Assembly, and is not directly attributed to the post of president.
• When the majority of the Assembly sides with him, the President can take a more active role and may, in effect, direct government policy. The prime minister is then often a mere "fuse" — an easily replaced figurehead that can be removed if the administration becomes unpopular.

Since 2002, the mandate of the president and the Assembly are both 5 years and the two elections are close to each other. Therefore, the likelihood of a "cohabitation" is lower.

Among the powers of the president:

• The president promulgates laws. Promulgation or enactment is the act of formally proclaiming or declaring new statutory or Administrative law when it receives final approval
  • The president has a very limited form of suspensive veto: when presented with a law, he or she can request another reading of it by Parliament, but only once per law. A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation.
  • The president may also refer the law for review to the Constitutional Council prior to promulgation. The Constitutional Council ( Conseil Constitutionnel) was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958
• The president may dissolve the French National Assembly
• The president may refer treaties or certain types of laws to popular referendum, within certain conditions, among them the agreement of the Prime minister or the parliament. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”) A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita
• The president is the Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of the armies.
• The president may order the use of nuclear weapons.
• The president names the Prime minister but he cannot dismiss him. He names and dismisses the other ministers, with the agreement of the Prime minister.
• The president names most officials (with the assent of the cabinet).
• The president names certain members of the Constitutional Council.
• The president receives foreign ambassadors. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country
• The president may grant a pardon (but not an amnesty) to convicted criminals; the president can also lessen or suppress criminal sentences. A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to This was of crucial importance when France still operated the death penalty: criminals sentenced to death would generally request that the president commute their sentence to life imprisonment. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Life imprisonment or life incarceration is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime often for most

All decisions of the president must be countersigned by the Prime minister, except dissolving the French National Assembly. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”)

Detailed constitutional powers

The constitutional attributions of the president are defined in Title II of the Constitution of France. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958.

Article 5 The President of the Republic shall see that the Constitution is observed. He shall ensure, by his arbitration, the proper functioning of the public authorities and the continuity of the State. He shall be the guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity and observance of treaties.

Article 8 The President of the Republic shall appoint the Prime Minister. He shall terminate the appointment of the Prime Minister when the latter tenders the resignation of the Government. On the proposal of the Prime Minister, he shall appoint the other members of the Government and terminate their appointments.

Article 9 The President of the Republic shall preside over the Council of Ministers.

Article 10 The President of the Republic shall promulgate Acts of Parliament within fifteen days following the final adoption of an Act and its transmission to the Government. He may, before the expiry of this time limit, ask Parliament to reconsider the Act or sections of the Act. Reconsideration shall not be refused.

While the president has to sign all acts adopted by parliament into law, he cannot refuse to do so and exercise a kind of right of veto; his only power in that matter is to ask for a single reconsideration of the law by parliament and this power is subject to countersigning by the Prime minister. A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation.

Article 11 [the president may submit laws to the citizens in a referendum]

Article 12 The President of the Republic may, after consulting the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the assemblies, declare the National Assembly dissolved. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”) A general election shall take place not less than twenty days and not more than forty days after the dissolution. The National Assembly shall convene as of right on the second Thursday following its election. Should it so convene outside the period prescribed for the ordinary session, a session shall be called by right for a fifteen-day period. No further dissolution shall take place within a year following this election.

Article 13 The President of the Republic shall sign the ordinances and decrees deliberated upon in the Council of Ministers. A decree is an order made by a Head of state or government and having the force of Law. He shall make appointments to the civil and military posts of the State. [. . . ]

Article 14 The President of the Republic shall accredit ambassadors and envoys extraordinary to foreign powers ; foreign ambassadors and envoys extraordinary shall be accredited to him. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country

Article 15 The President of the Republic shall be commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Military of France encompasses an army, a navy, an air force and a military police force. He shall preside over the higher national defence councils and committees.

Article 16 Where the institutions of the Republic, the independence of the Nation, the integrity of its territory or the fulfilment of its international commitments are under serious and immediate threat, and where the proper functioning of the constitutional public authorities is interrupted, the President of the Republic shall take the measures required by these circumstances, after formally consulting the Prime Minister, the Presidents of the assemblies and the Constitutional Council. He shall inform the Nation of these measures in a message. The measures must stem from the desire to provide the constitutional public authorities, in the shortest possible time, with the means to carry out their duties. The Constitutional Council shall be consulted with regard to such measures. The Constitutional Council ( Conseil Constitutionnel) was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958 Parliament shall convene as of right. The National Assembly shall not be dissolved during the exercise of the emergency powers. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”)

Article 16, allowing the president a limited form of rule by decree for a limited period of time in exceptional circumstance, has been used only once, by Charles de Gaulle during the Algerian War, from April 23 to September 29, 1961. Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group and is used primarily by Dictators and Absolute monarchs Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Article 17 The President of the Republic has the right to grant pardon. A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it

Article 18 The President of the Republic shall communicate with the two assemblies of Parliament by means of messages, which he shall cause to be read and which shall not be the occasion for any debate. Outside sessions, Parliament shall be convened especially for this purpose.

Since 1875, the President is prohibited from entering the houses of Parliament.

Article 19 Acts of the President of the Republic, other than those provided for under articles 8 (first paragraph), 11, 12, 16, 18, 54, 56 and 61, shall be countersigned by the Prime Minister and, where required, by the appropriate ministers. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers

Presidential amnesties

There is a tradition of so-called "presidential amnesties", which are something of a misnomer: after the election of a president, and of a National Assembly of the same party, parliament traditionally votes a law granting amnesty for some petty crimes. Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to The National Assembly is either a Legislature, or the Lower house of a Bicameral legislature in some countries This practice has been increasingly criticized, particularly because it is believed to incite people to commit traffic offences in the months preceding the election. Such an amnesty law may also authorize the president to designate individuals who have committed certain categories of crimes to be offered amnesty, if certain conditions are met. Such individual measures have been criticized for the political patronage that they allow. Patronage is the support encouragement privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization Still, it is argued that such amnesty laws help reduce prison overpopulation. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of An amnesty law was passed in 2002; none have yet been passed as of January 2008.

The difference between an amnesty and a presidential pardon is that the former clears all subsequent effects of the sentencing, as though the crime had not been committed, while pardon simply relieves the sentenced individual from part or all of the remaining of the sentence.

Election

Further information: Elections in France

Since a 2000 referendum, the President of France has been directly elected to a five-year term by universal suffrage. France is a Representative democracy. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens (directly or indirectly or appointed by elected On 24 September 2000, a referendum on the reduction of the mandate of the President of the French Republic was held to determine whether the mandate of Universal suffrage (also universal adult suffrage, general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to (Prior to 2000, presidential terms lasted seven years, and the first election to a shorter term was held in 2002. ) President Chirac was first elected in 1995 and again in 2002. There is no term limit, so Chirac could have run again, but chose not to. He was succeeded by Nicolas Sarkozy on 2007 May 16. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. A term limit is due to be introduced by a constitutional reform planned to be passed on 7 July 2008, which would limit politicians to at most two presidential terms. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[1]

François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac are the only Presidents to date who have served a full two terms (14 years for the former, 12 years for the latter). François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist

In order to be admitted as an official candidate, potential candidates must receive signed presentations (informally known as parrainages, for "godfathering") from more than 500 elected officials, mostly mayors. These officials must be from at least 30 départements or overseas collectivities, and no more than 10% of them should be from the same département or collectivity. In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative ^[2] Furthermore, one official may only present no more than one candidate. ^[3]

There are approximately 45 000 elected officials that are on the list of such officials, including around 36 000 mayors.

Spending and financing of campaigns and political parties are highly regulated. There is a cap on spending, at approximately 20 million euros, and government public financing of 50% of spending if the candidate scores more than 5%. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e If the candidate receives less than 5% of the vote, the government funds €800,000 to the party (€150,000 paid in advance) ^[4]Advertising on TV is forbidden but official time is given to candidates on public TV. An independent agency regulates election and party financing.

French presidential elections are conducted via run-off voting which ensures that the elected President always obtains a majority: if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrive at a run-off. The two-round system (also known as the second ballot or runoff voting) is a Voting system used to elect a single winner After the president is elected, he goes through a solemn investiture ceremony called a "passation des pouvoirs" ("handing over of powers") [1]. Investiture, from the Latin (preposition in and verb vestire, 'dress' from vestis 'robe' is a rather general term for the formal installation of an

Succession

Upon the death or resignation of the President, the President of the Senate acts as interim president. An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death resignation or removal of its current occupant President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. The President of Argentina (full title President of the Argentine Nation, Spanish: Presidente de la Nación Argentina) is the Head of state The Austrian Federal President ( German language: Österreichischer Bundespräsident) is the federal Head of state of Austria. The presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as Constitutional President of the Republic of Brazil upon the incapacity resignation death or by judge trial The President of the People's Republic of China ( literally Chairman of the Chinese People's Republic or abbreviated Guójiā Zhǔxí 国家主席 literally State Chairman The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Président de la République démocratique du Congo Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo Mokonzi wa Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki The President of the French Republic (Président de la République française colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France 's elected The President of Finland is the Head of State of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the President and the The President of Germany (deutscher Bundespräsident is Germany 's Head of state. The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. The President of the Republic of Korea is according to the Constitution head of state chief executive of the government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces The Constitutional Citizen President of the United Mexican States (the official title in Spanish is Ciudadano Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos The President of Pakistan ( Urdū: صدر Sadr-e-Mumlikat) is the Head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The presidential line of succession who may become or act as Constitutional President of the Republic of Peru upon the incapacity resignation death or by judge trial The President of the Philippines is the head of state and government of the Republic of the Philippines. The Acting President of the Republic of Poland ( Pełniący Obowiązki Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, shorter P The Portuguese presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as Constitutional President of the Portuguese Republic upon the incapacity The President of Romania is the Head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a Two-round system for a five-year term (since 2004 The presidential line of succession who may become or act as President of Sri Lanka upon the incapacity resignation or death of a current President The presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity death resignation or removal from office (by Impeachment The Senate (Sénat is the Upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president. Alain Poher is the only person to have served this temporary position. Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996 was a French Centrist politician affiliated first with the Popular Republican Movement The first time was in 1969 after Charles de Gaulle's resignation and a second time in 1974 after Georges Pompidou's death. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (5 July 1911 2 April 1974 was President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974 It is important to note that, in this situation, the President of the Senate became an Interim President of the Republic; they do not become the new President of the Republic as elected and therefore do not have to resign from their position as President of the Senate. In spite of his title as Interim President of the Republic, Poher is regarded in France as a former President and is listed in the presidents' gallery on elysee. fr (the President's official site). This is in contrast to acting presidents from the Third Republic.

The first round of a new presidential election must be organized no sooner than twenty days and no later than thirty-five days following the vacancy of the presidency. Because fifteen days can separate the first and second rounds of a presidential election, this means that the President of the Senate can only act as President of the Republic for a maximum period of fifty days. During this period of Interim president is not allowed to dismiss the national assembly nor are they allowed to call for a referendum or initiate any constitutional changes.

If there is no acting president of the senate, the powers of the president of the republic are exercised by the "Gouvernement", meaning the Cabinet. This has been interpreted by some constitutional academics as meaning first the Prime Minister and, if he is himself not able to act, the members of the cabinet in the order of the list of the decree that nominated them. This is in fact unlikely to happen, because if the president of the Senate is not able to act, the Senate will normally name a new president of the Senate, that will act as President of the Republic.

During Third French Republic the Prime Minister acted as President whenever office was vacant. The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe

Official residences

The official residence and office of the president is the Élysée Palace in Paris. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Other presidential residences include:

• the Fort de Bregançon, in southeastern France, is the current official presidential vacationing residence;
• the Hôtel de Marigny; standing next to the Élysée Palace, it houses foreign official guests;
• the Château de Rambouillet is normally open to visitors when not used for (rare) official meetings;
• the Domaine National de Marly is normally open to visitors when not used for (rare) official meetings;
• the Domaine de Souzy-la-Briche, not a historical monument, is a private residence. The Hôtel de Marigny is a Town house on the Avenue Marigny not far from the Elysée Palace, and is used as a residence for State visitors to The château de Rambouillet is a palace in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, France 50 km (30 miles southwest of Paris. Marly is the name or part of the name of several communes in Europe: France Marly, in the Moselle département

• His salary is € 19 331 by month.

Latest election

Former Presidents

As of 2008 there were two living former Presidents:

• Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (served 1974–1981)
• Jacques Chirac (served 1995–2007)

According to French law, Former Presidents have guaranteed lifetime pension, security detail and, according to the French Constitution (Article 56), membership on the Constitutional Council. Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French

First Ladies

• Carla Bruni February 2008- . Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi, 23 December 1967 is an Italian-born naturalized French songwriter singer and former model. . . Nicolas Sarkozy
• Cécilia Sarkozy May 2007–October 2007 . Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, . . Nicolas Sarkozy
• Bernadette Chirac 1995–2007 . Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac, born Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chodron de Courcel (born 18 May 1933) is a French politician and the former First . . Jacques Chirac
• Danielle Mitterrand 1981–1995 . Danielle Mitterrand (born Danielle Émilienne Isabelle Gouze 29 October 1924 in Verdun) is the widow of François Mitterrand and president . . François Mitterrand
• Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing 1974–1981 . François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Anne-Aymone Marie Josèphe Christiane Sauvage de Brantès (born 10 April 1933) is the wife and distant cousin of former President of France Valéry . . Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
• Claude Pompidou 1969–1974 . Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French Claude Jacqueline Pompidou ( 13 November 1912 &ndash 3 July 2007) was the wife of President of France Georges Pompidou. . . Georges Pompidou
• Yvonne de Gaulle 1959–1969 . Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (5 July 1911 2 April 1974 was President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974 Yvonne de Gaulle ( May 22, 1900 &ndash November 8, 1979) born as Yvonne Charlotte Anne Marie Vendroux, was the wife of Charles . . Charles de Gaulle
• Germaine Coty 1954–1959 . Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French . . René Coty
• Michelle Aucouturier 1947–1954 . René Jules Gustave Coty (20 March 1882 22 November 1962 was President of France from 1954 to 1959 . . Vincent Auriol
• Germaine Deschanel 1920 . For other meanings see also the disambiguation page Auriol Jules-Vincent Auriol ( 27 August, 1884 1 January, 1966 was a . . Paul Deschanel
• Marie Louis Picard 1899–1906 . Paul Eugène Louis Deschanel (13 February 1855 - 28 April 1922 was a French statesman . . Émile Loubet
• Hélène Casimir-Perier 1894–1895 . Émile François Loubet (31 December 1838 - 20 December 1929 was a French Politician and the 7th President of France. . . Jean Casimir-Perier
• Élise Thiers 1871–1873 . Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier (8 November 1847 - 11 March 1907 was a French Politician, fifth president of the French Third Republic. . . Adolphe Thiers

Age upon entering office

1. Vincent Auriol, 63
2. Rene Coty, 71
3. Charles de Gaulle, 68
4. Georges Pompidou, 57
5. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 48
6. François Mitterrand, 64
7. Jacques Chirac, 62
8. Nicolas Sarkozy, 52

Presidents time in office

Longest served (twice elected)

1. François Mitterrand: 14 years (two full seven-year terms, longest serving President in history)
2. Jacques Chirac: 12 years (two full terms, but second five-years, not seven as first)
3. Charles de Gaulle: 10 years (resigned in middle of second term)
4. Jules Grévy: 8 years (elected twice, but resigned early during second)
5. Albert Lebrun: 8 years (elected twice, but deposed in early second term by new Vichy Regime)

Served one full term (seven years)

1. Emile Loubet
2. Armand Fallières
3. Raymond Poincaré
4. Gaston Doumergue
5. Vincent Auriol
6. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Served less than one full term

1. Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (became an Emperor 1852)
2. Adolphe Thiers (resigned 1873)
3. Patrice de Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta (resigned 1879)
4. Sadi Carnot (assassinated by Italian anarchist named Sante Jeronimo Caserio 1894)
5. Jean Casimir-Perier (resigned 1895)
6. Félix Faure (died in office 1899)
7. Paul Deschanel (resigned 1920)
8. Alexandre Millerand (resigned 1924)
9. Paul Doumer (assassinated by Russian immigrant 1932)
10. René Coty (term shortened because of constitution change and call for new election)
11. Georges Pompidou (died in office 1974)

Interim President

1. Alain Poher (served nearly two months in 1969 and about one month in 1974)

Non-Presidential Heads of State

1. Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure, Chairman of the Provisional Government and de facto head of state in 1848 : served less than three months
2. Executive Commission : joint head of state with five co-presidents in 1848 : served less than two months. Louis-Adolphe fr Thiers ( Marseille, 16 April 1797&ndash3 September 1877 was a French politician and Historian. For other meanings see also the disambiguation page Auriol Jules-Vincent Auriol ( 27 August, 1884 1 January, 1966 was a René Jules Gustave Coty (20 March 1882 22 November 1962 was President of France from 1954 to 1959 Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (5 July 1911 2 April 1974 was President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974 Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French François Paul Jules Grévy (15 August 1807 - 9 September 1891 was a President of the French Third Republic and one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans Albert Lebrun (29 August 1871 6 March 1950 was a French Politician, President of France from 1932 to 1940 and as such was the last president of the Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 Émile François Loubet (31 December 1838 - 20 December 1929 was a French Politician and the 7th President of France. Clément Armand Fallières (6 November 1841 22 June 1931 was a French Politician, president of the French republic from 1906 to 1913 Raymond Poincaré (20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934 was a French conservative Statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue (Aigues-Vives Gard, 1 August 1863 18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives was a French Politician of the Third Republic. For other meanings see also the disambiguation page Auriol Jules-Vincent Auriol ( 27 August, 1884 1 January, 1966 was a Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President Louis-Adolphe fr Thiers ( Marseille, 16 April 1797&ndash3 September 1877 was a French politician and Historian. Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de Mac-Mahon, 1st Duc de Magenta, Marshal of France (13 June 1808 - 17 October 1893 was a French For the French physicist and uncle of Marie François see Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot. Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier (8 November 1847 - 11 March 1907 was a French Politician, fifth president of the French Third Republic. Félix François Faure (30 January 1841&ndash16 February 1899 was President of France from 1895 until his death Paul Eugène Louis Deschanel (13 February 1855 - 28 April 1922 was a French statesman Alexandre Millerand (10 February 1859 - 7 April 1943 was a French socialist Politician. Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer (22 March 1857 7 May 1932 was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination René Jules Gustave Coty (20 March 1882 22 November 1962 was President of France from 1954 to 1959 Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (5 July 1911 2 April 1974 was President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974 Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996 was a French Centrist politician affiliated first with the Popular Republican Movement Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure (27 February 1767 3 March 1855 was a French lawyer and statesman The Executive Commission of the French Republic was a short-lived body and jointly head of state of France during the Second Republic. François Arago was its most prominent member. François Jean Dominique Arago ( Francesc Joan Dominic Aragó; 26 February 1786 2 October 1853 was a French Catalan Mathematician,
3. Louis-Eugène Cavaignac, head of government and de facto head of state in 1848 : served about six months
4. Louis Jules Trochu, President of the Government of National Defense and de facto head of state (served 4 months, September 1870 to January 1871)
5. Philippe Pétain, Chief of State of Vichy France: served four years
6. Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government: served over one and a half years
7. Félix Gouin, President of the Provisional Government: served five months
8. Georges Bidault, President of the Provisional Government: served five months
9. Vincent Auriol, President of the Provisional Government: served less than a month
10. Léon Blum, President of the Provisional Government: served one month

History

Under the Third and Fourth Republic, which were parliamentary systems, the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial and powerless one. Louis-Eugène Cavaignac (15 October 1802 - 28 October 1857 French general second son of Jean-Baptiste Cavaignac and brother of Éléonore Louis Godefroi Cavaignac Louis Jules Trochu (12 March 1815 - 7 October 1896 was a French military leader and politician Le Gouvernement de la Défense Nationale, or The Government of National Defence, was the first Government of the Third Republic of France from September Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951 generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain ( Maréchal Pétain) Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French The Provisional Government of the French Republic ( gouvernement provisoire de la République française or GPRF was an interim government which governed Félix Gouin (4 October 1884 - 25 October 1977 was a French Socialist politician member of the SFIO. Georges-Augustin Bidault (5 October 1899 27 January 1983 was a French politician For other meanings see also the disambiguation page Auriol Jules-Vincent Auriol ( 27 August, 1884 1 January, 1966 was a André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 30 March 1950 was a French politician usually identified with the moderate left and three times the Prime Minister of France. The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe The founding of the Fourth Republic (1944-47 See also Three Parties, Third Force (France European Unity The creation of the A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which

The constitution of the Fifth Republic greatly increased the President's powers. See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on A 1962 referendum changed the constitution, so that the President would be directly elected by universal suffrage and not by the parliament. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita

In 2000, a referendum shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

See also

• List of Presidents of the French Republic
• French Presidential elections under the Third Republic

References