Fifth Republic

The Fifth Republic, founded on the 1958 Constitution championed by Charles de Gaulle, strengthened the executive. It established the direct election of the president (1962) and remains the current regime of France. Eight presidents have led it, from Charles de Gaulle to Emmanuel Macron. The five-year term replaced the seven-year term after the 2000 referendum, and the periods of cohabitation in 1986, 1993 and 1997 showed the flexibility of its institutions.

Figures of this era

  1. Charles de Gaulle (1959-1969) — Founder of the Fifth Republic, left power after the failure of the 1969 referendum
  2. Georges Pompidou (1969-1974) — Former Prime Minister of de Gaulle, died in office in 1974
  3. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1974-1981) — Modernising president: majority at 18, divorce by mutual consent, the Veil law
  4. François Mitterrand (1981-1995) — First socialist president of the Fifth Republic, two terms, the Grand Louvre and the BnF projects
  5. Jacques Chirac (1995-2007) — President of the Republic, re-elected in 2002, opposed to the Iraq War (2003)
  6. Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) — President of the Republic, presided over the EU during the 2008 financial crisis
  7. François Hollande (2012-2017) — President of the Republic, passed the marriage for all law (2013)
  8. Emmanuel Macron (2017-présent) — Youngest president of the French Republic, re-elected in 2022

← All political figures