The president of the French Republic was elected on an indirect basis during the Third Republic and Fourth Republic, as well as at the start of the Fifth Republic.
During the Third Republic and Fourth Republic, the officeholder was elected by a combined vote of the Chamber of Deputies (National Assembly in Fourth Republic) and the Senate (Council in Fourth Republic). At the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958, the first presidential election was held using an electoral college consisting of members of the French Parliament, general councils, as well as overseas assemblies, mayors, deputy mayors and city council members. Since then, the presidency has been directly elected with two round system.
Third Republic 1873 election The 1873 election took place on 24 May following the resignation of incumbent President Adolphe Thiers. At the time of the vote, the Legitimists and Orleanists monarchists held a large majority in Parliament over the Republicans and Bonapartists as a result of the 1871 legislative elections.
CandidatePartyRound 1Percentage Patrice de Mac-MahonLegitimists39099.74% Jules GrévyRepublican10.16%
1879 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Jules GrévyRepublican84.03% Antoine ChanzyMilitary14.78% Léon GambettaRepublican0.70% Paul de LadmiraultMilitary0.14% Henri d'Orléans, Duke of AumaleOrleanist0.14% Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de GalliffetMilitary0.14%
1885 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Jules GrévyModerate Republican79.34% Henri BrissonRadical11.81% Charles de FreycinetModerate Republican2.43% Others6.42%
1887 election
CandidatePartyRound 1Round 2 Sadi CarnotUnion of the Lefts35.69%74.49% Jules FerryDemocratic Union24.97%withdrew Félix Gustave SaussierMilitary17.43%22.73% Others22.39%1.02%
1894 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Jean Casimir-PerierModerate Republican53.00% Henri BrissonRadical22.91% Charles DupuyModerate Republican11.40% Victor FévrierMilitary6.23% Emmanuel AragoRepublican3.17% Others2.59%
1895 election CandidatePartyRound 1Round 2 Félix FaureModerate Republican31.00%53.75% Henri BrissonRadical42.95%45.13% Pierre Waldeck-RousseauModerate Republican23.38% - Others2.67%1.13%
1899 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Émile LoubetDemocratic Republican Alliance58.62% Jules MélineRepublican Federation33.86% Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy CavaignacNationalist Party2.79% Others3.28%
1906 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Armand FallièresDemocratic Republican Alliance52.89% Paul DoumerRadical Party43.70% Others3.30%
1913 election CandidatePartyRound 1Round 2 Raymond PoincaréRepublican Democratic Party49.48%56.23% Jules PamsRadical Party37.72%34.46% Édouard VaillantSocialist (SFIO)7.27%8.03% Others5.54%1.28%
January 1920 election CandidatePartyPreliminary VoteRound 1 Paul DeschanelRepublican Democratic Party 49.63%82.66% Georges ClemenceauIndependent Radicals 47.32% 5.97% Charles JonnartRepublican Democratic Party0.36%7.21% Others3.66%1.51%
September 1920 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Alexandre MillerandIndependent Centre-Right88.92% Gustave DelorySocialist (SFIO)8.78% Others2.80%
1924 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Gaston DoumergueRadical Party59.88% Paul PainlevéRepublican-Socialist Party35.93% Zéphyrin CamélinatCommunist Party2.44% Others0.87%
1931 election CandidatePartyRound 1Round 2 Paul DoumerIndependent49.06%56.44% Pierre MarraudLeft -37.40% Paul PainlevéRepublican-Socialist Party -1.46% Aristide BriandSocialist (SFIO)44.51%1.34% Marcel CachinCommunist1.11%1.23% Jean HennessyRepublican Federation1.66% - Others3.22%1.01%
1932 election CandidatePartyRound 1 Albert LebrunDemocratic Alliance81.47% Paul FaureSocialist (SFIO)14.67% Paul PainlevéRepublican-Socialist Party1.54% Marcel CachinCommunist1.03% Others1.29%
1939 election CandidatePartyRound 1Albert LebrunDemocratic Alliance55.60%Albert BedouceSocialist (SFIO)16.59%Marcel CachinCommunist8.13%Édouard HerriotRadical Party5.82%Justin GodartDemocratic Left5.49%Fernand BouissonRepublican-Socialist Party1.76%François PiétriRepublican Federation1.76%Others4.84%
Fourth Republic 1947 election CandidatePartyVotes%Vincent AuriolSFIO45251.19%Auguste Champetier de RibesMRP24227.41%Jules GasserRAD12213.82%Michel ClemenceauPRL606.80%
1953 election The elections in December 1953 required thirteen rounds of voting before a candidate reached a majority of the vote. The election was eventually won by René Coty of the National Centre of Independents and Peasants (CNIP), who had only entered in the eleventh round.
CandidatePartyFirstSecondThirdFourthFifthSixthSeventhEighthNinthTenthEleventhTwelfthThirteenthVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes% René CotyCNIP––––––––––––––––––––718.0743148.8747754.76 SFIO16017.2429932.5731333.9534437.4731233.8830633.8130333.3338141.9136540.1535841.2937242.2733337.7632937.77 Louis JacquinotCNIP––––––––––––––141.54––––33838.4262.95212.41 Joseph LanielCNIP15516.7027630.0735838.8340844.4437440.6139743.8740744.4743047.3041345.4339245.21–––––– Pierre MontelCNIP––––––––––––––––10311.33849.69–––––– Antoine PinayCNIP––––––––––––––––252.75–––––––– Jean MedecinRAD545.52––––454.9019722.3117118.9015617.16–––––––––––– Yvon DelbosRAD12913.9018019.6022524.40424.58–––––––––––––––––– André CornuRAD––––––353.81–––––––––––––––––– Georges BidaultMRP13114.1214315.58–––––––––––––––––––––– Paul-Jacques KalbRPF11412.28–––––––––––––––––––––––– Marcel CachinPCF11312.18–––––––––––––––––––––––– Jacques FourcadeCNIP626.68–––––––––––––––––––––––– Others101.08202.18262.82444.79 384.13313.43434.73535.83283.08333.819911.259210.43445.05 Total928918922918921905909878934867880882871
Fifth Republic 1958 election
The 1958 election was the first of the French Fifth Republic and took place on 21 December. It was the only French presidential election by the electoral college (gathering the members of the French Parliament, the Conseils Généraux, the overseas assemblies, and tens of thousands of mayors, deputy mayors and city council members). To win, a candidate was required to receive 50% of the vote. This system was used only for this election, and was changed in the 1962 referendum in time for the 1965 presidential election.
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Candidates ! rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Parties ! colspan="2" | 1st round |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" ! width="50" | Votes ! width="30" | % |- style="font-weight:bold" | style="background-color:" | | style="text-align:left;" | Charles de Gaulle | style="text-align:left;" | UNR | | % |- | style="background-color:" | | style="text-align:left;" | Georges Marrane | style="text-align:left;" | PCF | | % |- | style="background-color:" | | style="text-align:left;" | Albert Châtelet | style="text-align:left;" | DVG | | % |- | colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | |- style="font-weight:bold" | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total | | 100% |- | colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | |- | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Valid votes | || % |- | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Spoilt and null votes | || % |- | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Turnout | || % |- | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Abstentions | || % |- | colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Registered voters | | style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" | |- | colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | |- | colspan="5" style="text-align:left;" |Official results by Constitutional Council of France.
Source: List of candidates First round result
References