Jean-Christophe Mitterrand (born 19 December 1946) is the son of former French president François Mitterrand . He was an advisor to his father on African affairs from 1986 to 1992, and earned the nickname Papamadit (which translates as "Daddy-told-me") in Africa.
115-520: François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France . As a former Socialist Party First Secretary , he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic . Due to family influences, Mitterrand started his political life on
230-556: A 2000 referendum ; the first election for a shorter term was held in 2002 . Then-president Jacques Chirac was first elected in 1995 and again in 2002, and would have been able to run in 2007 had he chosen to, given the lack of term limits. Following a further change, the constitutional law of 2008 on the modernization of the institutions of the Fifth Republic , a president cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac were previously
345-463: A Fifth Republic . He justified his opposition by the circumstances of de Gaulle's comeback: the 13 May 1958 quasi-putsch and military pressure. In September 1958, determinedly opposed to Charles de Gaulle, François Mitterrand made an appeal to vote "no" in the referendum over the Constitution , which was nevertheless adopted on 4 October 1958. This defeated coalition of the "No" was composed of
460-664: A Lysander plane on 15 November 1943 (piloted by then- Squadron Leader Lewis Hodges ). He promoted his movement to the British and American Authorities, but he was sent to Algiers , where he met de Gaulle, by then the uncontested leader of the Free French. The two men clashed, de Gaulle refused to jeopardize the Resistance by including a movement that gathered information from POWs. Later Mitterrand refused to merge his group with other POW movements if de Gaulle's nephew Cailliau
575-613: A "false" document in July 2000 (because Courroye had put the date of 3 July for an ordinance drafted on 5 July)—but this manoeuver did not stop the procedure. On 13 January 2006, the Court of Appeal of Paris confirmed the initial sentence. On 27 October 2006, the Court of Cassation rejected Mitterrand's appeal, and confirmed his 30-month prison sentence on probation , along with a €600,000 fine for tax evasion ( fraude fiscale ) because of €600,000 received from Falcone but not declared to
690-663: A complaint filed in January 2001 by the Socialist Minister of Defence Alain Richard . Jean-Christophe Mitterrand was again indicted on 17 October 2001, for corruption by investigative judge Courroye, suspected of having received US$ 300,000 from the Brenco in payment of councils to Falcone. On the eve of this new indictment, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand filed a complaint against Judge Courroye accusing him of having made
805-508: A fake attempt on his life. Prosecution was initiated against François Mitterrand but was later dropped. Nonetheless, the Observatory Affair cast a lasting shadow over Mitterrand's reputation. Years later in 1965, when François Mitterrand emerged as the challenger to de Gaulle in the second round of the presidential elections, de Gaulle was urged by an aide to use the Observatory Affair to discredit his opponent. "No, and don't insist"
920-613: A flat in Vichy , where they hoped to arrest François Morland, a member of the resistance. "Morland" was François Mitterrand's cover name. He also used Purgon, Monnier, Laroche, Captain François, Arnaud et Albre as cover names. The man they arrested was Pol Pilven , a member of the resistance who was to survive the war in a concentration camp. François Mitterrand was in Paris at the time. Warned by his friends, Mitterrand escaped to London aboard
1035-809: A formal member of the French Social Party , which was the successor to the Croix de Feu and may be considered the first French right-wing mass party. However, he did write news articles in the L'Echo de Paris newspaper, which was close to the Social Party. He participated in the demonstrations against the " invasion métèque " in February 1935 and then in those against law teacher Gaston Jèze , who had been nominated as juridical counsellor of Ethiopia 's Negus , in January 1936. When Mitterrand's involvement in these conservative nationalist movements
1150-456: A left-wing opponent to Charles de Gaulle in publishing Le Coup d'État permanent (The permanent coup, 1964), which criticized de Gaulle's personal power, the weaknesses of Parliament and of the government, the President's exclusive control of foreign affairs, and defence, etc. In 1965, Mitterrand was the first left-wing politician who saw the presidential election by universal suffrage as
1265-591: A majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrive at a run-off. After a new president is elected, they go through a solemn investiture ceremony called a passation des pouvoirs ("handing over of powers"). In order to be admitted as an official candidate, potential candidates must receive signed nominations (known as parrainages , for "sponsors") from more than 500 elected local officials, mostly mayors. These officials must be from at least 30 départements or overseas collectivities, and no more than 10% of them should be from
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#17327768412301380-566: A member of the ORA, moreover he set up his own RNPG network with Pinot in February and he obtained funding for his own network. In March, François Mitterrand met Henri Frenay , who encouraged the resistance in France to support François Mitterrand over Michel Cailliau. 28 May 1943, when François Mitterrand met with Gaullist Philippe Dechartre [ fr ] , is generally taken as the date François Mitterrand split with Vichy. According to Dechartre,
1495-472: A presidential pardon is that the former clears all subsequent effects of the sentencing, as though the crime had not been committed, while pardon simply relieves the sentenced individual from part or all of the remainder of the sentence. Articles 67 and 68 organize the regime of criminal responsibility of the president. They were reformed by a 2007 constitutional act in order to clarify a situation that previously resulted in legal controversies. The president of
1610-915: A range of costly " Grands Projets ". In 1985, he was faced with a major controversy after ordering the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior , a Greenpeace vessel docked in Auckland . Later in 1991, he became the first French President to appoint a female prime minister, Édith Cresson . During his presidency, Mitterrand was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into " cohabitation governments " with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–1988), and Édouard Balladur (1993–1995). Mitterrand’s foreign and defence policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors, except in regards to their reluctance to support European integration , which he reversed. His partnership with German chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via
1725-524: A referendum with advice and consent of the cabinet. Article 12 : The president of the republic may, after consulting the prime minister and the presidents of the assemblies, declare the National Assembly dissolved. A general election shall take place not less than twenty days and not more than forty days after the dissolution. The National Assembly shall convene as of right on the second Thursday following its election. Should it so convene outside
1840-419: A residence stipend of 3%, and a function stipend of 25% on top of the salary and residence indemnity. This gross salary and these indemnities are the same as those of the prime minister, and are 50% higher than the highest paid to other members of the government, which is itself defined as twice the average of the highest (pay grade G) and the lowest (pay grade A1) salaries in the "out of scale" pay grades. Using
1955-533: A second visit to London in February 1944, Mitterrand took part in the liberation of Paris in August; he took over the headquarters of Commissariat général aux prisonniers de guerre (general office for POW, the ministry he was working for), immediately he took up the vacant post of secretary general of POWs. When de Gaulle entered Paris following the Liberation , he was introduced to various men who were to be part of
2070-416: A security detail, a car with a chauffeur, first class train tickets and an office or housing space, as well as a two people who service the space. In addition, funds are available for seven permanent assistants. President Hollande announced a reform of the system in 2016. Former presidents of France will no longer receive a car with chauffeur and the personnel in their living space was cut as well. Additionally,
2185-539: A socialist background and worked for various left-wing causes. They married on 24 October 1944 and had three sons: Pascal (10 June – 17 September 1945), Jean-Christophe , born in 1946, and Gilbert, born on 4 February 1949. He also had two children as results of extra-marital affairs: an acknowledged daughter, Mazarine (born 1974), with his mistress Anne Pingeot , and an unacknowledged son, Hravn Forsne (born 1988), with Swedish journalist Chris Forsne [ sv ] . François Mitterrand's nephew Frédéric Mitterrand
2300-539: A total of 194. The Communists remained the largest left-wing group with 22.5% of votes. The governing coalition won with its majority reduced by only one seat (247 seats out of 487). In Paris, the Left (FGDS, PSU, PCF) managed to win more votes in the first round than the two governing parties (46% against 42.6%) while the Democratic Centre of Duhamel got 7% of votes. But with 38% of votes, de Gaulle's Union for
2415-675: A true spy network in the POW camps which gave us information, often decisive, about what was going on behind the German borders." On 10 July François Mitterrand and Piatzook (a militant communist) interrupted a public meeting in the Salle Wagram in Paris. The meeting was about allowing French POWs to go home if they were replaced by young French men forced to go and work in Germany (in French this
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#17327768412302530-551: A way that evidently precludes the continuation of their term. Upon the death in office, removal, or resignation of the president, the Senate 's president takes over as acting president. Alain Poher is the only person to have served in this temporary position, and has done so twice: the first time in 1969 after Charles de Gaulle 's resignation and a second time in 1974 after Georges Pompidou 's death while in office. In this situation,
2645-580: A way to defeat the opposition leadership. Not a member of any specific political party, his candidacy for presidency was accepted by all left-wing parties (the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), French Communist Party (PCF), Radical-Socialist Party (PR) and Unified Socialist Party (PSU)). He ended the cordon sanitaire of the PCF which the party had been subject to since 1947. For
2760-647: Is not able to act, the Senate will normally name a new president of the Senate, who will act as President of the Republic. During the Third French Republic the president of the Council of Ministers acted as president whenever the office was vacant. According to article 7 of the Constitution, if the presidency becomes vacant for any reason, or if the president becomes incapacitated, upon the request of
2875-465: Is quite powerful. Although the Prime Minister of France , through their government as well as Parliament, oversees much of the nation's actual day-to-day domestic affairs, the French president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy . The president's greatest power is the ability to choose the prime minister. However, since it
2990-525: Is the French National Assembly that has the sole power to dismiss the prime minister's government, the president is forced to name a prime minister who can command the support of a majority in the assembly. Since 2002, the legislative elections are held a few weeks after the presidential; a majority supporting the president's party or at the very least not opposing the president's choice is therefore very likely to be obtained. They have also
3105-694: The Gouvernement , the Constitutional Council may rule, by a majority vote, that the presidency is to be temporarily assumed by the president of the Senate. If the Council rules that the incapacity is permanent, the same procedure as for the resignation is applied, as described above. If the president cannot attend meetings, including meetings of the Council of Ministers, they can ask the prime minister to attend in their stead (Constitution, article 21). This clause has been applied by presidents travelling abroad, ill, or undergoing surgery. During
3220-719: The Bloc National in 1919 . Mitterrand was accused of being responsible for this huge legislative defeat and the FGDS split. In 1969, François Mitterrand could not run for the Presidency: Guy Mollet refused to give him the support of the SFIO. The left wing was eliminated in the first round, with the Socialist candidate Gaston Defferre winning a humiliating 5.1 percent of the total vote. Georges Pompidou faced
3335-549: The 1965 and 1974 presidential elections, before being elected president in the 1981 presidential election . He was re-elected in 1988 and remained in office until 1995. Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, which was a controversial decision at the time. In any event, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support erode. They left
3450-493: The Brenco on a Swiss bank account —although he denied any participation to an arms deal. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand was freed three weeks later, on 11 January 2001, after his mother, Danielle Mitterrand , managed to post a bail 5 million francs (€762,000). However, he was indicted again on July 4, 2001, on charges of "complicity of arms traffic" by the magistrates Philippe Courroye and Isabelle Prévost-Desprez , following
3565-601: The 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. Indeed, when the Fourth Republic was created, after the Second World War, it
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3680-535: The Comité d'entraide aux prisonniers rapatriés de l'Allier (Mutual Assistance Committee for Repatriated POWs of the Allier Department). By the end of 1942, François Mitterrand met Pierre Guillain de Bénouville , an old friend from his days with La Cagoule . Bénouville was a member of the resistance groups Combat and Noyautage des administrations publiques (NAP). In late 1942, the non-occupied zone
3795-656: The International Criminal Court (France is a member of the ICC and the president is a French citizen as another following the Court's rules) or where impeachment is moved against them. Impeachment can be pronounced by the Republican High Court, a special court convened from both houses of Parliament on the proposal of either House, should the president have failed to discharge their duties in
3910-718: The June 1946 legislative election , he led the list of the Rally of the Republican Lefts ( Rassemblement des gauches républicaines , RGR) in the Western suburb of Paris, but he was not elected. The RGR was an electoral entity composed of the Radical Party , the centrist Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance ( Union démocratique et socialiste de la Résistance , UDSR) and several conservative groupings. It opposed
4025-620: The Maastricht Treaty , and he accepted German reunification . Less than eight months after leaving office, he died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency. Beyond making the French Left electable, Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-dominant Communist Party. François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand
4140-630: The Order of the Francisque (the honorific distinction of the Vichy Regime). Debate rages in France as to the significance of this. When François Mitterrand's Vichy past was exposed in the 1950s, he at first denied having received the Francisque (some sources say he was designated for the award, but never received the medal because he went into hiding before the ceremony took place). Socialist Resistance leader Jean Pierre-Bloch says that Mitterrand
4255-637: The Second French Republic , there was a vice president . The only person to ever hold the position was Henri Georges Boulay de la Meurthe . Four French presidents have died in office: The president of the Republic is paid a salary according to a pay grade defined in comparison to the pay grades of the most senior members of the French Civil Service ("out of scale", hors échelle , those whose pay grades are known as letters and not as numeric indices). In addition they are paid
4370-789: The prime minister and government of France , have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the Second Republic . The president of the French Republic is the ex officio co-prince of Andorra , grand master of the Legion of Honour and of the National Order of Merit . The officeholder is also honorary proto-canon of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, although some have rejected
4485-615: The unoccupied zone controlled by the French. With help from a friend of his mother he got a job as a mid-level functionary of the Vichy government , looking after the interests of POWs. This was very unusual for an escaped prisoner, and he later claimed to have served as a spy for the Free French Forces . Mitterrand worked from January to April 1942 for the Légion française des combattants et des volontaires de la révolution nationale (Legion of French combatants and volunteers of
4600-612: The École Libre des Sciences Politiques until 1937, where he obtained his diploma in July of that year. François Mitterrand took membership for about a year in the Volontaires nationaux (National Volunteers), an organisation related to François de la Rocque 's far-right league, the Croix de Feu ; the league had just participated in the 6 February 1934 riots which led to the fall of the second Cartel des Gauches (Left-Wing Coalition). Contrary to some reports, Mitterrand never became
4715-516: The "Observatory Affair". The incident brought him a great deal of publicity, initially boosting his political ambitions. Some of Mitterrand's critics claimed, however, that he had staged the incident himself, resulting in a backlash against him. He later said he had earlier been warned by right-wing deputy Robert Pesquet that he was the target of an Algérie française death squad and accused Prime Minister Michel Debré of being its instigator. Before his death, Pesquet claimed that Mitterrand had set up
François Mitterrand - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-481: The 2008 "out of scale" pay grades, it amounts to a monthly pay of 20,963 euros, which fits the 19,000 euros quoted to the press in early 2008. Using the pay grades starting from 1 July 2009, this amounts to a gross monthly pay of €21,131. The salary and the residence stipend are taxable for income tax . The official residence and office of the president is the Élysée Palace in Paris. Other presidential residences include: According to French law, former presidents of
4945-512: The Act. Reconsideration shall not be refused. While the President has to sign all acts adopted by parliament into law, he cannot refuse to do so and exercise a kind of right of veto; his only power in that matter is to ask for a single reconsideration of the law by parliament and this power is subject to countersigning by the Prime minister. Article 11: The president could submit laws to the people in
5060-455: The CIR of François Mitterrand). In the legislative election of March 1967 , the system where all candidates who failed to pass a 10% threshold in the first round were eliminated from the second round favoured the pro-Gaullist majority, which faced a split opposition (PCF, FGDS and centrists of Jacques Duhamel ). Nevertheless, the parties of the left managed to gain 63 seats more than previously for
5175-529: The Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy regime during its earlier years. Subsequently he joined the Resistance , moved to the left, and held ministerial office several times under the Fourth Republic . Mitterrand opposed Charles de Gaulle 's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, he outmanoeuvered rivals to become the left's standard bearer in
5290-540: The Château de Montmaur which formed the base of his future network for the resistance. From September, he made contact with Free French Forces , but clashed with Michel Cailliau [ fr ] , General Charles de Gaulle 's nephew (and de Gaulle's candidate to head-up all POW-related resistance organizations). On 15 October 1942, François Mitterrand and Marcel Barrois (a member of the resistance deported in 1944) met Marshal Philippe Pétain along with other members of
5405-571: The European Movement. As Overseas Minister (1950–1951), Mitterrand opposed the colonial lobby to propose a reform program. He connected with the left when he resigned from the cabinet after the arrest of Morocco 's sultan (1953). As leader of the progressive wing of the UDSR, he took the head of the party in 1953, replacing the conservative René Pleven . In June 1953, Mitterrand attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II . Seated next to
5520-641: The Fifth Republic remained the leading French party. During the May 1968 governmental crisis, François Mitterrand held a press conference to announce his candidacy if a new presidential election was held. But after the Gaullist demonstration on the Champs-Élysées , de Gaulle dissolved the Assembly and called for a legislative election instead. In this election , the right wing won its largest majority since
5635-424: The French representative at the liberation of the camps at Kaufering and Dachau . By chance Mitterrand discovered his friend and member of his network, Robert Antelme , suffering from typhus . Antelme was restricted to the camp to prevent the spread of disease, but François Mitterrand arranged for his "escape" and sent him back to France for treatment. After the war Mitterrand quickly moved back into politics. At
5750-417: The Government and terminate their appointments. Article 9 : The president of the republic shall preside over the Council of Ministers. Article 10: The president of the republic shall promulgate acts of parliament within fifteen days following the final adoption of an act and its transmission to the Government. He may, before the expiry of this time limit, ask Parliament to reconsider the act or sections of
5865-409: The PCF and some left-wing republican politicians (such as Pierre Mendès-France and François Mitterrand). This attitude may have been a factor in Mitterrand's losing his seat in the 1958 elections , beginning a long "crossing of the desert" (this term is usually applied to de Gaulle's decline in influence for a similar period). Indeed, in the second round of the legislative election, François Mitterrand
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#17327768412305980-453: The Republic enjoys immunity during their term: they cannot be requested to testify before any jurisdiction, they cannot be prosecuted, etc. However, the statute of limitation is suspended during their term, and enquiries and prosecutions can be restarted, at the latest one month after they leave office. The president is not deemed personally responsible for their actions in their official capacity, except where their actions are indicted before
6095-429: The Republic have guaranteed lifetime pension defined according to the pay grade of the Councillors of State , a courtesy diplomatic passport, and, according to the French Constitution (Article 56), membership of the Constitutional Council. They also get personnel, an apartment and/or office, and other amenities, though the legal basis for these is disputed. The current system for providing personnel and other amenities to
6210-419: The SFIO leader Guy Mollet , Mitterrand's candidacy prevented Gaston Defferre , his rival in the SFIO, from running for the presidency. Furthermore, François Mitterrand was a lone figure, so he did not appear as a danger to the left-wing parties' staff members. De Gaulle was expected to win in the first round, but Mitterrand received 31.7% of the vote, denying De Gaulle a first-round victory. François Mitterrand
6325-460: The Vichy Regime). From spring 1942, he met other escaped POWs Jean Roussel [ fr ] , Max Varenne, and Dr. Guy Fric [ fr ] , under whose influence he became involved with the resistance. In April, François Mitterrand and Fric caused a major disturbance in a public meeting held by the collaborator Georges Claude . From mid-1942, he sent false papers to POWs in Germany and on 12 June and 15 August 1942, he joined meetings at
6440-466: The appropriate ministers. Before the 2008 constitutional reform forbidding them, there was a tradition of so-called "presidential amnesties", which are something of a misnomer: after the election of a president, and of a National Assembly of the same party, parliament would traditionally vote a law granting amnesty for some petty crimes (it was also a way of reducing jail overpopulation). This practice had been increasingly criticized, particularly because it
6555-410: The authority of their leaders [who] obeyed the demands of the Nazis" – in the Holocaust . Chirac added that the "criminal madness of the occupiers was seconded by the French, by the French State". President Emmanuel Macron was even more specific as to the State's responsibility for the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv Roundup of 13,000 Jews for deportation to concentration camps. It was indeed "France that organized
6670-444: The cabinet as War Veterans Minister. He held various offices in the Fourth Republic as a Deputy and as a Minister (holding eleven different portfolios in total), including as a mayor of Château-Chinon from 1959 to 1981. In May 1948, Mitterrand participated in the Congress of The Hague , together with Konrad Adenauer , Winston Churchill , Harold Macmillan , Paul-Henri Spaak , Albert Coppé and Altiero Spinelli . It originated
6785-423: The cabinet in 1984. Early in his first term, he followed a radical left-wing economic agenda, including nationalisation of key firms and the introduction of the 39-hour work week. He likewise pushed a socially liberal agenda with reforms such as the abolition of the death penalty , and the end of a government monopoly in radio and television broadcasting. He was also a strong promoter of French culture and implemented
6900-400: The candidate receives less than 5% of the vote, the government funds €8,000,000 to the party (€4,000,000 paid in advance). Advertising on TV is forbidden, but official time is given to candidates on public TV. An independent agency regulates election and party financing. The French Fifth Republic is a semi-presidential system . Unlike most other European heads of state, the French president
7015-520: The centrist Alain Poher in the second round . President of France The president of France , officially the president of the French Republic (French: Président de la République française ), is the executive head of state of France , and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces . As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the position is the highest office in France. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, in addition to their relation with
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#17327768412307130-402: The continuity of the State. He shall be the guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity and observance of treaties. Article 8 : The president of the republic shall appoint the prime minister. He shall terminate the appointment of the prime minister when the latter tenders the resignation of the Government. On the proposal of the prime minister, he shall appoint the other members of
7245-426: The death penalty in 1981 led the British writer Anthony Daniels (writing under his pseudonym of Theodore Dalrymple ) to accuse François Mitterrand of being an unprincipled opportunist, a cynical politician who proudly confirmed death sentences of FLN rebels in the 1950s when it was popular and who only came to champion abolishing the death penalty when this was popular with the French people. As Minister of Justice, he
7360-402: The duty of arbitrating the functioning of governmental authorities for efficient service, as the head of state of France. Since 2002, the mandate of the president and the Assembly are both five years, and the two elections are close to each other. Therefore, the likelihood of a cohabitation is lower. Among the powers of the president: All decisions of the president must be countersigned by
7475-406: The elderly Princess Marie Bonaparte , he reported having spent much of the ceremony being psychoanalyzed by her. As Interior Minister in Pierre Mendès-France 's cabinet (1954–1955), Mitterrand had to direct the response to the Algerian War of Independence . He claimed: " Algeria is France ." He was suspected of being the informer of the Communist Party in the cabinet. This rumour was spread by
7590-402: The first and second rounds of a presidential election; this means that the president of the Senate can only act as President of the Republic for a maximum period of fifty days. During this interim period, acting presidents are not allowed to dismiss the national assembly, nor are they allowed to call for a referendum or initiate any constitutional changes. If there is no president of the Senate,
7705-406: The former French presidents was devised in 1981 by Michel Charasse , then advisor to President François Mitterrand , in order to care for former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and the widow of former President Georges Pompidou . In 2008, according to an answer by the services of the prime minister to a question from René Dosière , a member of the National Assembly, the facilities comprised:
7820-416: The former Paris police prefect, who had been dismissed by him. The suspicions were dismissed by subsequent investigations. The UDSR joined the Republican Front , a centre-left coalition, which won the 1956 legislative election . As Justice Minister (1956–1957), François Mitterrand allowed the expansion of martial law in the Algerian conflict. Unlike other ministers (including Mendès-France), who criticised
7935-449: The lead. In his memoirs, he says that he had started this organisation while he was still officially working for the Vichy Regime. From 27 November 1943, Mitterrand worked for the Bureau central de renseignements et d'action . In December 1943 François Mitterrand ordered the execution of Henri Marlin (who was about to order attacks on the " Maquis ") by Jacques Paris and Jean Munier, who later hid out with François Mitterrand's father. After
8050-405: The majority, was thus elected for another term, but this defeat was regarded as honourable, for no one was really expected to defeat de Gaulle. François Mitterrand took the lead of a centre-left alliance: the Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left ( Fédération de la gauche démocrate et socialiste , FGDS). It was composed of the SFIO, the Radicals and several left-wing republican clubs (such
8165-443: The meeting on 28 May 1943 was set up because "there were three movements [of Résistance :] […] the Gaullist, the communist, and one from support centers […] hence I was assigned the mission to prepare what would be called afterwards the merger [of the three movements]." During 1943, the RNPG gradually changed from providing false papers to information-gathering for France libre . Pierre de Bénouville said, "François Mitterrand created
8280-434: The nation of these measures in a message. The measures must stem from the desire to provide the constitutional public authorities, in the shortest possible time, with the means to carry out their duties. The Constitutional Council shall be consulted with regard to such measures. Parliament shall convene as of right. The National Assembly shall not be dissolved during the exercise of the emergency powers. Article 16 , allowing
8395-437: The nation, the integrity of its territory or the fulfilment of its international commitments are under serious and immediate threat, and where the proper functioning of the constitutional public authorities is interrupted, the president of the republic shall take the measures required by these circumstances, after formally consulting the prime minister, the presidents of the assemblies and the Constitutional Council. He shall inform
8510-554: The national revolution) as a civil servant on a temporary contract. François Mitterrand worked under Jean-Paul Favre de Thierrens who was a spy for the British secret service. He then moved to the Commissariat au reclassement des prisonniers de guerre (Service for the Reorientation of POWs). During this period, François Mitterrand was aware of Thierrens's activities and may have helped in his disinformation campaign. At
8625-585: The national-royalist movement Action française . His friendship with Dayan caused Mitterrand to begin to question some of his nationalist ideas. Finishing his law studies, he was sent in September 1939 to the Maginot line near Montmédy , with the rank of Sergeant-chief (infantry sergeant). He became engaged to Marie-Louise Terrasse (future actress and television presenter Catherine Langeais ) in May 1940, when she
8740-521: The number of assistants available for their use has been reduced, but a state flat or house remains available for former officeholders. Train tickets are also available if the trip is justified by the office of the former officeholder as part of official business. The security personnel around former presidents of France remained unchanged. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand Mitterrand was born in Boulogne-Billancourt , Hauts-de-Seine . He
8855-520: The occasion for any debate. He can also give an address in front of the Congress of France in Versailles. Outside sessions, Parliament shall be convened especially for this purpose. Article 19 : Acts of the president of the republic, other than those provided for under articles 8 (first paragraph), 11, 12, 16, 18, 54, 56 and 61, shall be countersigned by the prime minister and, where required, by
8970-414: The only presidents to date who have served a full two terms (14 years for the former, 12 years for the latter). Incumbent Emmanuel Macron is the fourth president (after de Gaulle, Mitterrand, and Chirac) to win re-election, having done so in 2022 . French presidential elections are conducted using run-off voting , which ensures that the elected president always obtains a majority: if no candidate receives
9085-478: The opening phases of the Second Republic , the title was created for a popularly elected head of state, the first of whom was Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , nephew of Emperor Napoleon . Bonaparte served as president until he staged an auto coup against the republic, proclaiming himself Napoleon III, Emperor of the French . Under the Third Republic the president was at first quite powerful, mainly because
9200-485: The period prescribed for the ordinary session, a session shall be called by right for a fifteen-day period. No further dissolution shall take place within a year following this election. Article 13: The president of the republic shall sign the ordinances and decrees deliberated upon in the Council of Ministers. He shall make appointments to the civil and military posts of the State. [...] Article 14 : The president of
9315-668: The policy of the " Three-parties alliance" (Communists, Socialists and Christian Democrats). In the November 1946 legislative election , he succeeded in winning a seat as deputy from the Nièvre département . To be elected, he had to win a seat at the expense of the French Communist Party (PCF). As leader of the RGR list, he led a very anti-communist campaign. He became a member of the UDSR party. In January 1947, he joined
9430-461: The powers of the president of the republic are exercised by the Gouvernement , meaning the Cabinet. This has been interpreted by some constitutional academics as meaning first the prime minister and, if they are themselves not able to act, the members of the cabinet in the order of the list of the decree that nominated them. This is in fact unlikely to happen, because if the president of the Senate
9545-534: The president a limited form of rule by decree for a limited period of time in exceptional circumstance, has been used only once, by Charles de Gaulle during the Algerian War , from 23 April to 29 September 1961. Article 17 : The president of the republic has the right to grant pardon. Article 18 : The president of the republic shall communicate with the two assemblies of Parliament by means of messages, which he shall cause to be read and which shall not be
9660-414: The president of the Senate becomes Acting President of the Republic; they do not become the new president of the Republic as elected and therefore do not have to resign from their position as President of the Senate. The first round of a new presidential election must be organized no sooner than twenty days and no later than thirty-five days following the vacancy of the presidency. Fifteen days can separate
9775-427: The presidential term from seven years ( Septennat ) to five years (Quinquennat). A maximum of two consecutive terms was imposed after a 2008 constitutional reform . Since the 1962 presidential referendum , the president has been directly elected by universal suffrage ; previously, an electoral college decided the head of state. The length of the presidential term was reduced from seven years to five years following
9890-595: The prime minister, except dissolving the National Assembly, choice of prime minister, and other dispositions referred to in Article 19. The constitutional attributions of the president are defined in Title II of the Constitution of France . Article 5 : The president of the republic shall see that the Constitution is observed. He shall ensure, by his arbitration, the proper functioning of the public authorities and
10005-484: The provisional government. Among them was François Mitterrand, when they came face to face, de Gaulle is said to have muttered: "You again!" He dismissed François Mitterrand 2 weeks later. In October 1944, Mitterrand and Jacques Foccart developed a plan to liberate the POW and concentration camps. This was called operation Vicarage . On the orders of de Gaulle, in April 1945 François Mitterrand accompanied General Lewis as
10120-532: The rallying of left-wing forces at the national level, including the PCF, in order to challenge Gaullist domination. Two years later, he became the president (chairman) of the General Council of Nièvre. While the opposition to De Gaulle organized in clubs, he founded his own group, the Convention of Republican Institutions ( Convention des institutions républicaines , CIR). He reinforced his position as
10235-584: The repressive policy in Algeria, he remained in Guy Mollet 's cabinet until its end. As Minister of Justice, he had a role in 45 executions of the Algerian natives, recommending President René Coty to reject clemency in 80% of the cases, an action he later came to regret. François Mitterrand's role in confirming the death sentences of FLN rebels convicted by French courts of terrorism and later in abolishing
10350-406: The republic shall accredit ambassadors and envoys extraordinary to foreign powers; foreign ambassadors and envoys extraordinary shall be accredited to him. Article 15 : The president of the republic shall be commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He shall preside over the higher national defence councils and committees. Article 16 : Where the institutions of the republic, the independence of
10465-440: The roundup of Jews who were then deported to death camps during the war was solely the work of "Vichy France", an entity distinct from France: "The Republic had nothing to do with this. I do not believe France is responsible." This position was rejected by President Jacques Chirac in 1995 who stated that it was time that France faced up to its past. He acknowledged the role of the state – "4,500 policemen and gendarmes, French, under
10580-601: The roundup, the deportation, and thus, for almost all, death." It was done by "French police collaborating with the Nazis", he said on 16 July 2017. "It is convenient to see the Vichy regime as born of nothingness, returned to nothingness. Yes, it’s convenient, but it is false. We cannot build pride upon a lie." Mitterrand built up a resistance network, composed mainly of former POWs. The POWs National Rally ( Rassemblement national des prisonniers de guerre [ fr ] , RNPG)
10695-423: 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 next legislature was dominated by Republicans, and after President Patrice de MacMahon had unsuccessfully tried to obtain a new royalist majority by dissolving
10810-408: The same département or collectivity. Furthermore, each official may nominate only one candidate. There are exactly 45,543 elected officials, including 33,872 mayors. Spending and financing of campaigns and political parties are highly regulated. There is a cap on spending (at approximately €20 million) and government public financing of 50% of spending if the candidate scores more than 5%. If
10925-491: The same time, he published an article detailing his time as a POW in the magazine France, revue de l'État nouveau (the magazine was published as propaganda by the Vichy Regime). François Mitterrand has been called a " Vichysto-résistant " (an expression used by the historian Jean-Pierre Azéma to describe people who supported Marshal Philippe Pétain , the head of the Vichy Regime, before 1943, but subsequently rejected
11040-552: The title in the past. The current president is Emmanuel Macron , who succeeded François Hollande on 14 May 2017 , and was inaugurated for a second term on 7 May 2022. The presidency of France was first publicly proposed during the July Revolution of 1830, when it was offered to the Marquis de Lafayette . He demurred in favour of Prince Louis Phillipe , who became King of the French. Eighteen years later, during
11155-411: Was 16, but she broke it off in January 1942. Following an observation of Nazi concentration camps at the end of World War II, François Mitterrand became an agnostic . François Mitterrand's actions during World War II were the cause of much controversy in France during the 1980s and 1990s. Mitterrand was near the end of his national service when the war broke out. He fought as an infantry sergeant and
11270-683: Was a journalist, Minister of Culture and Communications under Nicolas Sarkozy (and a supporter of Jacques Chirac , former French President), and his wife's brother-in-law Roger Hanin was a well-known French actor. François Mitterrand studied from 1925 to 1934 in the Collège Saint-Paul in Angoulême , where he became a member of the Jeunesse Etudiante Chrétienne , the student organisation of Action catholique . Arriving in Paris in autumn 1934, he then went to
11385-415: Was a parliamentary system, in which the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial one. The Constitution of the Fifth Republic , adopted in 1958, greatly increased the president's powers. A 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. In 2000, a referendum shortened
11500-697: Was a press correspondent for the Agence France Presse in 1975 in Mauritania . In the 1990s, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, along with Russian businessman Arcadi Gaydamak , was implicated in the Angolagate arms dealing scandal. He was indicted in 1993 by the French justice in this case, suspected of having used his influence to help Pierre Falcone sell Russian weapons to José Eduardo dos Santos 's government (Angola). On 22 December 2000, he
11615-669: Was affiliated with General Henri Giraud , a former POW who had escaped from a German prison and made his way across Germany back to the Allied forces. In 1943 Giraud was contesting with de Gaulle for the leadership of the French Resistance . From the beginning of 1943, Mitterrand had contacts with a powerful resistance group called the Organisation de résistance de l'armée (ORA), organised by former French military personnel. From this time on, François Mitterrand could act as
11730-478: Was an official representative of France during the wedding of Rainier III , Prince of Monaco , and actress Grace Kelly . Under the Fourth Republic, he was representative of a generation of young ambitious politicians. He appeared as a possible future prime minister. In 1958, Mitterrand was one of the few to object to the nomination of Charles de Gaulle as head of government, and to de Gaulle's plan for
11845-408: Was believed to inspire people to commit traffic offences in the months preceding the election. Such an amnesty law would also authorize the president to designate individuals who have committed certain categories of crimes to be offered amnesty, if certain conditions are met. Such individual measures have been criticized for the political patronage that they allow. The difference between an amnesty and
11960-638: Was born on 26 October 1916 in Jarnac , Charente , the son of Joseph Mitterrand and Yvonne Lorrain. His family was devoutly Catholic and conservative. His father worked as a stationmaster for the Compagnie Paris Orléans railway. He had three brothers, Robert, Jacques (retired General and head of the French state aircraft company Aerospatiale), and Philippe, and four sisters, Antoinette, Marie-Josèphe, Colette, and Geneviève. Mitterrand's wife, Danielle Mitterrand ( née Gouze, 1924–2011), came from
12075-476: Was called " la relève "). When André Masson began to talk about " la trahison des gaullistes " (the Gaullist treason), François Mitterrand stood up in the audience and shouted him down, saying Masson had no right to talk on behalf of POWs and calling la relève a " con " (i.e., something stupid). Mitterrand avoided arrest as Piatzook covered his escape. In November 1943, the Sicherheitsdienst raided
12190-539: Was created by Mendès-France, former internal opponents of Mollet and reform-minded former members of the Communist Party. The PSU leaders justified their decision by referring to his non-resignation from Mollet's cabinet and by his past in Vichy. Also in that same year, on the Avenue de l'Observatoire in Paris, Mitterrand claimed to have escaped an assassin's bullet by diving behind a hedge, in what became known as
12305-503: Was imprisoned in the Santé prison in Paris, on orders of the magistrate Philippe Courroye , on charges of "complicity of arms traffic, trafic d'influence ( influence peddling ) and trafic d'influence aggravé (aggravated influence peddling )." He was suspected of having received important sums of money in 1993 and 1994 for his role as an intermediary in this contract, and has recognized having received US$ 1.8 million (13 million Francs) from
12420-778: Was injured and captured by the Germans on 14 June 1940. He was held prisoner at Stalag IXA near Ziegenhain (today part of Schwalmstadt , a town near Kassel in Hesse ). François Mitterrand became involved in the social organisation for the POWs in the camp. He claims this, and the influence of the people he met there, began to change his political ideas, moving him towards the left. He had two failed escape attempts in March and then November 1941 before he finally escaped on 16 December 1941, returning to France on foot. In December 1941 he arrived home in
12535-499: Was invaded by the Germans . Mitterrand left the Commissariat in January 1943, when his boss Maurice Pinot [ fr ] , another vichysto-résistant , was replaced by the collaborator André Masson, but he remained in charge of the centres d'entraides . In spring 1943, along with Gabriel Jeantet , a member of Marshal Pétain's cabinet, and Simon Arbellot (both former members of La Cagoule), François Mitterrand received
12650-502: Was ordered to accept the medal as cover for his work in the resistance. Pierre Moscovici and Jacques Attali remain skeptical of Mitterrand's beliefs at this time, accusing him of having at best a "foot in each camp" until he was sure who the winner would be. They noted his friendship with René Bousquet and the wreaths he was said to have placed on Pétain's tomb in later years (see below) as examples of his ambivalent attitude. In 1994, while President of France, Mitterrand maintained that
12765-512: Was revealed in the 1990s, he attributed his actions to the milieu of his youth. He furthermore had some personal and family relations with members of the Cagoule , a far-right terrorist group in the 1930s. Mitterrand then served his conscription from 1937 to 1939 in the 23rd régiment d'infanterie coloniale. In 1938, he became the best friend of Georges Dayan [ fr ] , a Jewish socialist, whom he saved from anti-Semitic aggressions by
12880-689: Was supported by the Communists but the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) refused to withdraw its candidate. This division caused the election of the Gaullist candidate. One year later, he was elected to represent Nièvre in the Senate , where he was part of the Group of the Democratic Left . At the same time, he was not admitted to the ranks of the Unified Socialist Party ( Parti socialiste unifié , PSU) which
12995-412: Was supported in the second round by the left and other anti-Gaullists: centrist Jean Monnet , moderate conservative Paul Reynaud and Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour , an extreme right-winger and the lawyer who had defended Raoul Salan , one of the four generals who had organized the 1961 Algiers putsch during the Algerian War . Mitterrand received 44.8% of votes in the second round and de Gaulle, with
13110-665: Was the General's response, "It would be wrong to demean the office of the Presidency, since one day he [Mitterrand] may have the job." Mitterrand visited China in 1961, during the worst of the Great Chinese Famine , but denied the existence of starvation. In the 1962 election , Mitterrand regained his seat in the National Assembly with the support of the PCF and the SFIO. Practicing left unity in Nièvre, he advocated
13225-649: Was to be the leader. Under the influence of Henri Frenay, de Gaulle finally agreed to merge his nephew's network and the RNPG with Mitterrand in charge. Thus the RNPG was listed in the French Force organization from spring 1944. Mitterrand returned to France by boat via England. In Paris, the three Resistance groups made up of POWs (Communists, Gaullists, RNPG) finally merged as the POWs and Deportees National Movement ( Mouvement national des prisonniers de guerre et déportés [ fr ] , MNPGD) and Mitterrand took
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