French Fifth Republic of the election on 9 January 1959. The new president began his office on that date, appointing Michel Debré as Prime Minister. The 1958 constitution also replaced the French Union with the French Community, which allowed fourteen member territories (these did not include Algeria) to assert their independence. 1960 became known as the "Year of Africa" because of this wave of newly independent states. Algeria became independent on 5 July 1962. The president was initially elected by an electoral college, but in 1962 de Gaulle proposed that the president be directly elected by the citizens, and held a referendum on
Coat of arms of the President of the Republic of Macedonia Coat of arms of the President of the Republic of Macedonia The coat of arms of the President of the Republic of Macedonia is the official coat of arms of the President of the Republic of Macedonia. It was adopted 2 December 2009, modified by the president Gorge Ivanov and produced by the Macedonian Heraldry Society. The coat of arms is made of the flag of the Republic of Macedonia on a shield, and below the shield there is a wreath of Macedonian Oak with sixteen leaves and sixteen acorns in total. The colours are the national colours of Macedonia,