French presidential election, 1965
Encyclopedia
The 1965 French presidential election was the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage of the Fifth Republic
. It was also the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage since the Second Republic
in 1848. It was won by incumbent president Charles de Gaulle
who resigned in 1969.
This election was the second since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. Under the first draft of the 1958 constitution, the president was elected by an electoral college, in order to appease concerns about de Gaulle's allegedly authoritarian or bonapartist
tendencies. Indeed, the last time a French president was elected by direct suffrage was in 1848, when Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte
was elected only to abolish democracy before the end of his term. However, a direct presidential election
had always been essential to De Gaulle's political vision and he had it adopted by referendum in 1962
.
According to De Gaulle's intentions, the presidential election became the driving election in the Fifth Republic.
When the electoral campaign started, the most part of the political actors and observers predicted a plebiscite for de Gaulle, thinking one round would be sufficient to guarantee his re-election. If some unknown personalities decided to run, benefiting of this campaign to win fame, the leaders of the big opponent political parties hesitated to presented himself. Furthermore, all the political parties (except the Gaullist Union for the New Republic (UNR-UDT) and the Independent Republicans
) had campaigned against the principle of the presidential election by the universal suffrage (that was the argument of the former centre-left Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic
Pierre Mendès-France
to not run).
The centre-left paper L'Express
campaigned for the nomination of a candidate of the non-Communist opposition. Under the name "Mister X" appeared Gaston Defferre
, Mayor of Marseille
, main internal opponent to the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO, socialist party) leader Guy Mollet
. In his municipality, Defferre led a coalition composed of the SFIO, the Radical Party, and the centre-right Popular Republican Movement
(MRP). Nevertheless, the national authorities of this parties refused to support his candidacy in the presidential race.
The failure of Defferre's candidacy permitted to others politicians to run. The MRP leader Jean Lecanuet
was nominated by his party and the National Centre of Independents and Peasants
(CNIP) to be the representing of the non-Gaullist centre-right in the competition. He presented himself like modern, liberal and pro-European candidate, influenced by the example of President John Kennedy. Criticizing the "archaism" and the "nationalism" of De Gaulle, he tried to rally the young and moderate wing of the conservative electorate.
In the left, a former Fourth Republic
's minister, François Mitterrand
proposed to be the candidate of all the left-wing parties. Opponent to De Gaulle since 1958 (like the Communists but contrary to the SFIO lead), he was the author of a very anti-Gaullist book, The permanent coup d'État, and did not belong to any party. He had realized that working through the constitution was the only way to defeat the right. He obtained the support of the left-wing parties, including the French Communist Party
(PCF), which wished to get out of its isolation. Denouncing the appropriation of the state by a "monarch", he presented himself as the candidate of all the Republicans. However, for the Gaullists, Mitterrand was in fact the candidate of the return to the Fourth Republic.
Because he considered his challengers did not measure up to him, were not dangerous, de Gaulle announced his candidacy only one month before the first round and did not a very active campaign. But finally, to everyone's surprise, he did not reach the 50% in the first round and must run for a second ballot which opposed him to Mitterrand. De Gaulle was elected but, because he had been expected to win in the first round, Mitterrand's performance was considered to be a success. This result was a first warning for the Gaullist power and symbolized the start of the decline of de Gaulle's presidency. De Gaulle confirmed his Prime Minister Georges Pompidou
but decided a cabinet reshuffle. He dismissed his Economy Minister Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
, damaging the relations in the majority coalition with the Independent Republicans
, the last allies of the Gaullists.
Tixier-Vignancour supported Mitterrand in the second round, Lecanuet called on his voters not to vote for de Gaulle
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
. It was also the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage since the Second Republic
French Second Republic
The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité...
in 1848. It was won by incumbent president Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
who resigned in 1969.
This election was the second since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. Under the first draft of the 1958 constitution, the president was elected by an electoral college, in order to appease concerns about de Gaulle's allegedly authoritarian or bonapartist
Bonapartism
Bonapartism is often defined as a political expression in the vocabulary of Marxism and Leninism, deriving from the career of Napoleon Bonaparte. Karl Marx was a student of Jacobinism and the French Revolution as well as a contemporary critic of the Second Republic and Second Empire...
tendencies. Indeed, the last time a French president was elected by direct suffrage was in 1848, when Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
was elected only to abolish democracy before the end of his term. However, a direct presidential election
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
had always been essential to De Gaulle's political vision and he had it adopted by referendum in 1962
French presidential election referendum, 1962
A referendum on the direct election of the President was held in France on 28 October 1962. It was approved by 62.3% of voters with a 77.0% turnout...
.
According to De Gaulle's intentions, the presidential election became the driving election in the Fifth Republic.
Independent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
) had campaigned against the principle of the presidential election by the universal suffrage (that was the argument of the former centre-left Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
Pierre Mendès-France
Pierre Mendès-France
Pierre Mendès France was a French politician. He descended from a Portuguese Jewish family that moved to France in the sixteenth century.-Third Republic and World War II:...
to not run).
The centre-left paper L'Express
L'Express (France)
L'Express is a French weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modelled on the US magazine TIME.-History:...
campaigned for the nomination of a candidate of the non-Communist opposition. Under the name "Mister X" appeared Gaston Defferre
Gaston Defferre
Gaston Defferre was a French socialist politician.-Biography:Lawyer and member of the French Section of the Workers' International political party, he was a member of the Brutus Network, a Resistance Socialist group during World War II...
, Mayor of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, main internal opponent to the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO, socialist party) leader Guy Mollet
Guy Mollet
Guy Mollet was a French Socialist politician. He led the French Section of the Workers' International party from 1946 to 1969 and was Prime Minister in 1956–1957.-Early life and World War II:...
. In his municipality, Defferre led a coalition composed of the SFIO, the Radical Party, and the centre-right Popular Republican Movement
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic...
(MRP). Nevertheless, the national authorities of this parties refused to support his candidacy in the presidential race.
The failure of Defferre's candidacy permitted to others politicians to run. The MRP leader Jean Lecanuet
Jean Lecanuet
Jean Adrien François Lecanuet was a French centrist politician. He was born to a family of modest means, and gravitated towards literature during his studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé in France...
was nominated by his party and the National Centre of Independents and Peasants
National Centre of Independents and Peasants
The National Centre of Independents and Peasants is a liberal-conservative and conservative-liberal political party in France, founded in 1949 by the merger of the National Centre of Independents with the...
(CNIP) to be the representing of the non-Gaullist centre-right in the competition. He presented himself like modern, liberal and pro-European candidate, influenced by the example of President John Kennedy. Criticizing the "archaism" and the "nationalism" of De Gaulle, he tried to rally the young and moderate wing of the conservative electorate.
In the left, a former Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
's minister, François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
proposed to be the candidate of all the left-wing parties. Opponent to De Gaulle since 1958 (like the Communists but contrary to the SFIO lead), he was the author of a very anti-Gaullist book, The permanent coup d'État, and did not belong to any party. He had realized that working through the constitution was the only way to defeat the right. He obtained the support of the left-wing parties, including the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF), which wished to get out of its isolation. Denouncing the appropriation of the state by a "monarch", he presented himself as the candidate of all the Republicans. However, for the Gaullists, Mitterrand was in fact the candidate of the return to the Fourth Republic.
Because he considered his challengers did not measure up to him, were not dangerous, de Gaulle announced his candidacy only one month before the first round and did not a very active campaign. But finally, to everyone's surprise, he did not reach the 50% in the first round and must run for a second ballot which opposed him to Mitterrand. De Gaulle was elected but, because he had been expected to win in the first round, Mitterrand's performance was considered to be a success. This result was a first warning for the Gaullist power and symbolized the start of the decline of de Gaulle's presidency. De Gaulle confirmed his Prime Minister Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
but decided a cabinet reshuffle. He dismissed his Economy Minister Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
, damaging the relations in the majority coalition with the Independent Republicans
Independent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
, the last allies of the Gaullists.
First round
| Candidate | Party | Vote | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969.... |
Union for the New Republic (UNR) | 10,828,523 | 44.64% | |
| François Mitterrand François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President... |
Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left The Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left was a conglomerate of French left-wing non-Communist forces. It was founded to support François Mitterrand's candidature at the 1965 presidential election and to couter-balance the Communist preponderance over the French left... (FGDS) |
7,694,003 | 31.72% | |
| Jean Lecanuet Jean Lecanuet Jean Adrien François Lecanuet was a French centrist politician. He was born to a family of modest means, and gravitated towards literature during his studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé in France... |
Democratic Center Popular Republican Movement The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic... (CD) |
3,777,119 | 15.57% | |
| Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour was a lawyer and French nationalist politician. He was a candidate in the 1965 French presidential election when his campaign manager was Jean-Marie Le Pen. He won 1,260,208 votes, which was 5.2% of the total, giving him fourth place after De Gaulle, Mitterrand and... |
Far right | 1,260,208 | 5.19% | |
| Pierre Marcilhacy Pierre Marcilhacy Pierre Marcilhacy was a French politician.He was a Senator for the Charente, sitting in the Democratic Left group. He ran against Charles de Gaulle in the French presidential election, 1965 for the European Liberal Party, a small centrist liberal group... |
Center-right | 415,018 | 1.71% | |
| Marcel Barbu Marcel Barbu Marcel Barbu was a French politician.Born in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, Barbu was deported to Buchenwald during the Second World War. Barbu won election in 1945 in the Drôme for a small left-wing party.... |
Independent | 279,683 | 1.15% | |
| Total | 24,254,554 | 100% | ||
Second round
| Candidate | Party | Vote | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969.... |
Union for the New Republic | 13,083,699 | 55.1% | |
| François Mitterrand François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President... |
Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left The Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left was a conglomerate of French left-wing non-Communist forces. It was founded to support François Mitterrand's candidature at the 1965 presidential election and to couter-balance the Communist preponderance over the French left... |
10,619,735 | 44.8% | |
| Total | 23,703,434 | 100% | ||
Tixier-Vignancour supported Mitterrand in the second round, Lecanuet called on his voters not to vote for de Gaulle