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
Constitutional amendments under the French Fifth Republic beginning of the French Fifth Republic, revisions have been adopted without using section 89. Unless otherwise stated, the provisions of the constitutional laws come into force on the date of enactment. However, some recent constitutional laws have provided a delayed effective date. The material content of the Constitution, in these cases, changes on different dates from those of other enactments of constitutional laws. For example, the constitution act of 23 July 2008 provides in article 46 that some sections of the reform are effective on and others "under the conditions established by law and necessary for their implementing organic laws"