List of indirect presidential elections in France

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

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1873 election

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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.

Candidate Party Round 1 Percentage
  Patrice de Mac-Mahon Legitimists 390[1] 99.74%
  Jules Grévy Republican 1[1] 0.16%

1879 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Jules Grévy Republican 84.03%
  Antoine Chanzy Military 14.78%
  Léon Gambetta Republican 0.70%
  Paul de Ladmirault Military 0.14%
  Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale Orleanist 0.14%
  Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de Galliffet Military 0.14%

1885 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Jules Grévy Moderate Republican 79.34%
  Henri Brisson Radical 11.81%
  Charles de Freycinet Moderate Republican 2.43%
  Others 6.42%

1887 election

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[2][3]

Candidate Party Round 1 Round 2
  Marie François Sadi Carnot Union of the Lefts 35.69% 74.49%
  Jules Ferry Democratic Union 24.97% withdrew
  Félix Gustave Saussier Military 17.43% 22.73%
  Others 22.39% 1.02%

1894 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Jean Casimir-Perier Moderate Republican 53.00%
  Henri Brisson Radical 22.91%
  Charles Dupuy Moderate Republican 11.40%
  Victor Février Military 6.23%
  Emmanuel Arago Republican 3.17%
  Others 2.59%

1895 election

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Candidate Party Round 1 Round 2
  Félix Faure Moderate Republican 31.00% 53.75%
  Henri Brisson Radical 42.95% 45.13%
  Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau Moderate Republican 23.38% -
  Others 2.67% 1.13%

1899 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Émile Loubet Democratic Republican Alliance 58.62%
  Jules Méline Republican Federation 33.86%
  Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac Nationalist Party 2.79%
  Others 3.28%

1906 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Armand Fallières Democratic Republican Alliance 52.89%
  Paul Doumer Radical Party 43.70%
  Others 3.30%

1913 election

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Candidate Party Round 1 Round 2
  Raymond Poincaré Republican Democratic Party 49.48% 56.23%
  Jules Pams Radical Party 37.72% 34.46%
  Édouard Vaillant Socialist (SFIO) 7.27% 8.03%
  Others 5.54% 1.28%

January 1920 election

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Candidate Party Preliminary Vote Round 1
  Paul Deschanel Republican Democratic Party 49.63% 82.66%
  Georges Clemenceau Independent Radicals 47.32% 5.97%
  Charles Jonnart Republican Democratic Party 0.36% 7.21%
  Others 3.66% 1.51%

September 1920 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Alexandre Millerand Independent Centre-Right 88.92%
  Gustave Delory Socialist (SFIO) 8.78%
  Others 2.80%

1924 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Gaston Doumergue Radical Party 59.88%
  Paul Painlevé Republican-Socialist Party 35.93%
  Zéphyrin Camélinat Communist Party 2.44%
  Others 0.87%

1931 election

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Candidate Party Round 1 Round 2
  Paul Doumer Independent 49.06% 56.44%
  Pierre Marraud Left - 37.40%
  Paul Painlevé Republican-Socialist Party - 1.46%
  Aristide Briand Socialist (SFIO) 44.51% 1.34%
  Marcel Cachin Communist 1.11% 1.23%
  Jean Hennessy Republican Federation 1.66% -
  Others 3.22% 1.01%

1932 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
  Albert Lebrun Democratic Alliance 81.47%
  Paul Faure Socialist (SFIO) 14.67%
  Paul Painlevé Republican-Socialist Party 1.54%
  Marcel Cachin Communist 1.03%
  Others 1.29%

1939 election

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Candidate Party Round 1
Albert Lebrun Democratic Alliance 55.60%
Albert Bedouce Socialist (SFIO) 16.59%
Marcel Cachin Communist 8.13%
Édouard Herriot Radical Party 5.82%
Justin Godart Democratic Left 5.49%
Fernand Bouisson Republican-Socialist Party 1.76%
François Piétri Republican Federation 1.76%
Others 4.84%

Fourth Republic

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1947 election

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Candidate Party Votes %
Vincent Auriol SFIO 452 51.19%
Auguste Champetier de Ribes MRP 242 27.41%
Jules Gasser RAD 122 13.82%
Michel Clemenceau PRL 60 6.80%

1953 election

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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.

Candidate Party First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
René Coty CNIP 71 8.07 431 48.87 477 54.76
Marcel-Edmond Naegelen SFIO 160 17.24 299 32.57 313 33.95 344 37.47 312 33.88 306 33.81 303 33.33 381 41.91 365 40.15 358 41.29 372 42.27 333 37.76 329 37.77
Louis Jacquinot CNIP 14 1.54 338 38.4 26 2.95 21 2.41
Joseph Laniel CNIP 155 16.70 276 30.07 358 38.83 408 44.44 374 40.61 397 43.87 407 44.47 430 47.30 413 45.43 392 45.21
Pierre Montel CNIP 103 11.33 84 9.69
Antoine Pinay CNIP 25 2.75
Jean Medecin RAD 54 5.52 45 4.90 197 22.31 171 18.90 156 17.16
Yvon Delbos RAD 129 13.90 180 19.60 225 24.40 42 4.58
André Cornu RAD 35 3.81
Georges Bidault MRP 131 14.12 143 15.58
Paul-Jacques Kalb RPF 114 12.28
Marcel Cachin PCF 113 12.18
Jacques Fourcade CNIP 62 6.68
Others 10 1.08 20 2.18 26 2.82 44 4.79 38 4.13 31 3.43 43 4.73 53 5.83 28 3.08 33 3.81 99 11.25 92 10.43 44 5.05
Total 928 918 922 918 921 905 909 878 934 867 880 882 871

Fifth Republic

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1958 election

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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.

Summary of the 21 December
1958 French presidential election result
Candidates Parties 1st round
Votes %
Charles de Gaulle UNR 62,394 78.51%
Georges Marrane PCF 10,355 13.03%
Albert Châtelet DVG 6,721 8.46%
Total 79,470 100%
Valid votes 79,470 97.76%
Spoilt and null votes 1,820 2.24%
Turnout 81,290 99.42%
Abstentions 474 0.58%
Registered voters 81,764
Official results by Constitutional Council of France.

Source: List of candidates · First round result

References

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  1. ^ a b "Assemblée Nationale – Séance de nuit". La Presse (in French). 26 May 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  2. ^ "1887, Troisième République, France, Élection président de la République, MJP". Digithèque de matériaux juridiques et politiques (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et décrets". Journal officiel de la République française (in French). Paris. 4 December 1887. p. 5350.