Editing President of France (section)

==History==
The presidency of France was first publicly proposed during the [[July Revolution]] of 1830, when it was offered to the [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de Lafayette]]. He demurred in favour of Prince [[Louis Philippe I|Louis Phillipe]], who became King of the French.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Louis Philippe, King of the French |publisher=[[University of Leeds]] Library Special Collections |url=https://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections/collection/1709 |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=library.leeds.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cornick |first1=Martyn |title=A history of the French in London: liberty, equality, opportunity |last2=Kelly |first2=Debra |date=2013 |publisher=[[Institute of Historical Research]] |isbn=978-1-905165-86-5 |location=London |pages=115 }}</ref>

Eighteen years later, during the opening phases of the [[French Second Republic|Second Republic]], the title was created for a popularly elected head of state, the first of whom was [[Napoleon III|Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte]], nephew of Emperor [[Napoleon]]. Bonaparte served as president until he staged a [[1851 French coup d'état|self-coup]] against the republic, proclaiming himself Napoleon III, [[Emperor of the French]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-15 |title=Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte |url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/louis-napoleon-bonaparte |access-date=2024-02-18 |publisher=President of France |language=en}}</ref>

Under the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] the president was at first quite powerful, mainly because the royalist party was strong when the constitutional laws of 1875 were established, and it was hoped that a member of one of the two branches of the royal family would be able to serve as president and turn France into a constitutional monarchy. However, the [[1877 French legislative election|next legislature]] was dominated by Republicans, and after President [[Patrice de MacMahon]] had unsuccessfully tried to obtain a new royalist majority by dissolving the {{lang|fr|Chambre des Députés}}, his successor [[Jules Grévy]] promised in 1879 that he would not use his presidential power of dissolution, and therefore lost his control over the legislature, effectively creating a [[parliamentary system]] that would be maintained for 80 years until the accession of [[Charles de Gaulle]] as president in 1959.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jules Grévy 1879–1887 |url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/jules-grevy |publisher=President of France |date=15 November 2018 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

Indeed, when the [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]] was created, after the Second World War, it was a parliamentary system, in which the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial one.

The Constitution of the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]], adopted in 1958, greatly increased the president's powers. A [[1962 French presidential election referendum|1962 referendum]] changed the constitution, so that the president would be directly elected by universal suffrage and not by the electoral college established in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=[[French National Assembly]] |title=Constitution of October 4, 1958 |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |access-date=2024-02-18 |archive-date=13 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313212736/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web  |title=Décision n° 62-20 DC du 06 novembre 1962 |url=http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/depuis-1958/decisions-par-date/1962/62-20-dc/decision-n-62-20-dc-du-06-novembre-1962.6398.html |publisher=[[Constitutional Council (France)|Constitutional Council of France]] |access-date=2024-02-18 |archive-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510064946/http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/depuis-1958/decisions-par-date/1962/62-20-dc/decision-n-62-20-dc-du-06-novembre-1962.6398.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2000, a [[2000 French constitutional referendum|referendum]] shortened the presidential term from seven years ({{lang|fr|[[Septennat (France)|Septennat]]}}) to five years ({{lang|fr|Quinquennat}}). A maximum of two consecutive terms was imposed after a [[French constitutional law of 23 July 2008|2008 constitutional reform]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elections: France Referendum 2000 |url=https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/80/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |publisher=[[International Foundation for Electoral Systems]] }}</ref>