1958 French presidential election explained

Country:France
Type:presidential
Previous Election:French presidential election, 1953
Previous Year:1953
Election Date:21 December 1958
Next Election:1965 French presidential election
Next Year:1965
Image1:Generaal de Gaulle, Bestanddeelnr 909-5916 (cropped).jpg
Party1:UNR
Percentage1:78.51%
Party2:PCF
Percentage2:13.03%
President
Before Election:René Coty
Before Party:CNIP
After Election:Charles de Gaulle
After Party:UNR
Turnout:99.42%
Votes For Election:Electoral college of France
Electoral Vote1:62,394
Electoral Vote2:10,355
Electoral Vote3:6,721
Party3:UFD
Candidate3:Albert Châtelet
Candidate2:Georges Marrane
Candidate1:Charles de Gaulle
Percentage3:8.46%
Image3:Albert Châtelet.jpg
Registered:81,764
Colour1:0066cc
Colour2:dd0000
Colour3:ff8080

The 1958 French presidential election was the first held under the French Fifth Republic, on 21 December. It was the sole presidential election by electoral college (gathering the members of the French Parliament, the general councils, the overseas assemblies, as well as tens of thousands of mayors, deputy mayors and municipal councillors) under the Fifth Republic. To win, a candidate was required to receive over 50% of the vote. This system was used solely for this election, as it was abolished following a 1962 referendum.[1] [2] [3]

Charles de Gaulle, who became President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) after the May 1958 crisis amid the Algerian War, won in a landslide victory in the first round of voting with 78.5% of the votes cast, against Georges Marrane of the French Communist Party and Albert Châtelet of the Union of Democratic Forces.[4] De Gaulle took office on 8 January 1959; following the 1962 referendum, he established direct universal suffrage for presidential elections, starting in 1965, which saw him win reelection to a second term.[5]

See also

References

  1. Book: Philip Thody . French Caesarism from Napoleon I to Charles de Gaulle . 1989 . Palgrave Macmillan UK . 978-1-349-20089-4 . 105– . Philip Thody.
  2. Web site: Constitution du 4 octobre 1958 - Texte originel - Sénat . 2021-04-13 . www.senat.fr.
  3. Book: Philip Thody . French Caesarism from Napoleon I to Charles de Gaulle . 1989 . Palgrave Macmillan UK . 978-1-349-20089-4 . 105– . Philip Thody.
  4. Book: Condette, Jean-François Condette . Le Nord-Pas-de-Calais en 1958 . IRHIS, CEGES, Université Charles de Gaulle-Lille 3 . 2009 . 978-2-905637-60-4 . Roger . Philippe . Histoire de l'Europe du Nord-Ouest . Villeneuve-d'Ascq . fr.
  5. Book: Susana Galera . Judicial Review: A Comparative Analysis Inside the European Legal System . 1 January 2010 . Council of Europe . 978-92-871-6723-1 . 71–.