French presidential elections under the Fifth Republic French presidential elections under the Fifth Republic There have been eleven presidential elections in France since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958. Originally the president was elected by the Collège des Notables (an assembly of "notable electors") that included around 80,000 county and city/town councillors (who had been elected locally). Following the 1962 de Gaulle's constitutional reform (the constitutional Act of November 6, 1962) the president has been directly elected by the people of France. Until the French constitutional revision of September 24, 2000, the president had been elected for a seven-year term. Under this revision the term
Off-year election They may also feature a number of special elections to fill vacancies in various federal, state and local offices. Because such off-year elections feature far fewer races than either presidential or midterm elections, they generate far lower voter turnout than even-numbered election years. Regularly scheduled elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives are always held in even-numbered years. Elections for these offices are only held during odd-numbered years if accommodating a special election—usually either due to incumbents resigning or dying while in office. Special elections are never held for the U.S. President. If the President dies, resigns or