French Fifth Republic voted in the referendum of 28 September 1958. The new constitution was signed into law on 4 October 1958. Since each new constitution established a new republic, France moved from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic. The new constitution contained transitional clauses (articles 90–92) extending the period of rule by decree until the new institutions were operating. René Coty remained President of the Republic until the new president was proclaimed. On 21 December 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected President of France by an electoral college. The provisional constitutional commission, acting in lieu of the Constitutional Council, proclaimed the results
Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic The Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic ("Chef d'état-major particulier du président de la République") is a role in the military and government of France, heading the president's military staff until the French Fifth Republic. The President's 'military household' ("maison militaire") was formed by president Mac-Mahon but not insititutionalised until 1880. This group of officers advised the president on army matters, especially (under the French Third Republic) matters of ceremony. Such an allocation was useful since it allowed its officers to nourish political contacts