This article is about the fifth and current constitution of France.
For the country situated
in Western Europe, see France.
French Republic
République française
Flag
Emblem
Motto: "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" (French)
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
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Location of France (dark green)
– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)
Capital Paris
48°51.4′N 2°21.05′E
and largest city
Official French[I]
language
and national
language
Government Unitary semi-presidential constitu
tional republic
• President Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister Jean Castex
Legislature Parliament
• Upper house Senate
• Lower house National Assembly
Establishment
• Current 4 October 1958 (62 years)
constitution
Currency Euro (EUR)
CFP franc (XPF)
Date format dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Calling code +33[II]
ISO 3166 code FR
Internet TLD .fr[III]
The Fifth Republic (French: Cinquième République) is France's current republican
system of government. It was established by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of
the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958.[1] The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of
the Fourth Republic, replacing the former parliamentary republic with a semi-
presidential (or dual-executive) system[2] that split powers between a prime
minister as head of government and a president as head of state.[3] De Gaulle, who was
the first French president elected under the Fifth Republic in December 1958, believed in
a strong head of state, which he described as embodying l'esprit de la nation ("the spirit
of the nation").[4]
The Fifth Republic is France's third-longest-lasting political regime, after
the hereditary and feudal monarchies of the Ancien Régime (Late Middle Ages – 1792)
and the parliamentary Third Republic (1870–1940). The Fifth Republic will overtake the
Third Republic as the second-longest-lasting regime and the longest-lasting French
republic if it survives to 11 July 2028.
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Contents
1Origins
2Evolution
3Presidents of the Fifth Republic
4President image gallery
5Prime Ministers of the Fifth Republic
6Institutions of the Fifth Republic
7See also
8Notes
9References
10Further reading
11External links
Origins[edit]
The trigger for the collapse of the Fourth French Republic was the Algiers crisis of 1958.
France was still a colonial power, although 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, despite being the colony with the largest French population,
saw rising pressure for separation from Metropolitan France. The situation was
complicated by those in Algeria, such as European settlers, native Jews,
and Harkis (native Muslims who were loyal to France) who wanted to maintain the union
with France. The Algerian War was 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.[5][page needed] 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 new 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. [6]
The Fourth Republic suffered from a lack of political consensus, a weak executive, and
governments forming and falling in quick succession since 1946. With no party or
coalition able to sustain a parliamentary majority, prime ministers found themselves
unable to risk their political position with unpopular reforms. [7][page needed]
De Gaulle and his supporters proposed a system of strong 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.
On 1 June 1958, Charles de Gaulle was appointed head of the government;[8] on 3 June
1958, a constitutional law empowered the new government to draft a new constitution of
France,[1] and another law granted Charles de Gaulle and his cabinet the power to rule by
decree for up to six months, except on certain matters related to the basic rights of
citizens (criminal law, etc.[vague]).[9] These plans were approved by more than 80% of those
who voted in the referendum of 28 September 1958.[10] The new constitution was signed
into law on 4 October 1958.[11] Since each new constitution established a new republic,
France moved from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic.
The new constitution contained transitional clauses (articles 90–92) extending the period
of rule by decree until the new institutions were operating. René Coty remained president
of the Republic until the new president was proclaimed. On 21 December 1958, Charles
de Gaulle was elected president of France by an electoral college.[12] The provisional
constitutional commission, acting in lieu of the constitutional council, proclaimed the
results of the election on 9 January 1959. The new president began his office on that
date, appointing Michel Debré as prime minister.
The 1958 constitution also replaced the French Union with the French Community, which
allowed fourteen member territories (excluding Algeria) to assert their independence.
[13]
1960 became known as the "Year of Africa" because of this wave of newly
independent states.[14] Algeria became independent on 5 July 1962.
