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
Jack of the President of the Republic of Poland the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on May 3, 2005. Jack of the President of the Republic of Poland Jack of the President of the Republic of Poland – Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland () is a jack flag used in the Polish Armed Forces to mark the presence and pay respect to the President of the Republic of Poland who is also "ex officio" the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The jack is raised on Polish Navy ships when the president is officially on board, as well as on land, if the president is present.