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
14th legislature of the French Fifth Republic him on December 6, 2016 and will remain head of a single government until the election of Emmanuel Macron to the presidency of the Republic. The last government of the fourteenth legislature is that of Édouard Philippe, which is renewed following the parliamentary elections of June 2017. 155 women were elected or reelected and make up 26.86% of French MPs: 125 women MPs from left-wing parties. 29 women MPs from right-wing parties. 1 women MP from the Front National party. The oldest member of the National Assembly is François Scellier, from the Radical Party, linked to the larger UMP conservative