French presidential election, 1965

Infobox Election
election_name = French presidential election, 1965
country = France
type = presidential
ongoing = no
previous_election = French presidential election, 1958
previous_year = 1958
next_election = French presidential election, 1969
next_year = 1969
election_date = 5 December and 19 December 1965


candidate2 = François Mitterrand
party2 = Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left
popular_vote2 = 10,619,735
percentage2 = 44.8%


candidate1 = Charles de Gaulle
party1 = Union for the New Republic
popular_vote1 = 13,083,699
percentage1 = 55.2%
map_

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map_size = 250px
map_caption = Results of the second round: the candidate with the plurality of votes in each administrative division. Charles de Gaulle: blue; François Mitterrand: pink
title = President
before_election = Charles de Gaulle
before_party = Union for the New Republic
after_election = Charles de Gaulle
after_party = Union for the New Republic

The 1965 French presidential election was the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage of the French Fifth Republic. It was also the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage since 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 will sufficient to guarantee his re-election. If some unfamous personalities decided to run, benefiting of this campaign to win fame, the leaders of the big opponent political parties hesitated to presented himself. Furthemore, all the political parties (expected the Gaullist 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 SFIO Socialist Party leader Guy Mollet. In his municipalty, Defferre led a coalition composed of the SFIO, the Radical Party, and the centre-right 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 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 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 whised 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 measeure 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 evryone'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, deteriorating the relations in the majority coalition with the Independent Republicans, the last allies of the Gaullists.

First round

econd round

Tixier-Vignancour supported Mitterrand in the second round, Lecanuet called on his voters not to vote for de Gaulle