Political Leaders of France

Leaders of France
(French Fifth Republic)

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Current parties:

UMP: Union for a Popular Movement (f. 2002) - formerly the RPR, RPF; known as the "Gaullist" party

UDF: Union for the French Democracy (f. 1978 as a confederation/f. 1998 as a party) also known as "Giscardiens"

PS: Socialist Party (f. 1969)

PCF: French Communist Party (f. 1920)

FN: National Front (f. 1972)

Presidents of the Fifth Republic

Charles de Gaulle            8 Jan 1959 - 28 Apr 1969 (+1970) RPR 
Georges Pompidou            20 Jun 1969 -  2 Apr 1974 (+)     RPR
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing    27 May 1974 - 21 May 1981         UDF
François Mitterrand         21 May 1981 - 17 May 1995 (+1996) PS       
Jacques Chirac              17 May 1995 - 16 May 2007          RPR, UMP 
Nicolas Sarkozy             16 May 2007 -                      UMP

Heads of Government

Prime Ministers
Michel Debré                 8 Jan 1959 - 14 Apr 1962 (+1996) RPR
Georges Pompidou            14 Apr 1962 - 10 Jul 1968 (+1974) RPR
Maurice Couve de Murville   10 Jul 1968 - 20 Jun 1969 (+1999) RPR
Jacques Chaban-Delmas       20 Jun 1969 -  7 Jul 1972 (+2000) RPR   
Pierre Messmer               7 Jul 1972 - 27 May 1974         RPR
Jacques Chirac              27 May 1974 - 26 Aug 1976         RPR
Raymond Barre               26 Aug 1976 - 22 May 1981         UDF
Pierre Mauroy               22 May 1981 - 23 Jul 1984         PS
Laurent Fabius              23 Jul 1984 - 20 Mar 1986         PS 
Jacques Chirac              20 Mar 1986 - 10 May 1988         RPR
Michel Rocard               10 May 1988 - 15 May 1991         PS
Edith Cresson               15 May 1991 -  2 Apr 1992         PS
Pierre Bérégovoy             2 Apr 1992 - 29 Mar 1993 (+1993) PS
Édouard Balladur            29 Mar 1993 - 17 May 1995         RPR
Alain Juppé                 17 May 1995 -  3 Jun 1997         RPR 
Lionel Jospin                3 Jun 1997 -  6 May 2002         PS
Jean-Pierre Raffarin         6 May 2002 - 31 May 2005         UMP
Dominique de Villepin       31 May 2005 -  17 May 2007        UMP
François Fillon             17 May 2007 -                     UMP

Leaders of PS

General Secretary of SFIO
Guy Mollet                  1946-1969 (+1975) 
Alain Savary                1969-1971 (+1998)
François Mitterrand         1971-1981 (+1996)    
Lionel Jospin               1981-1988          
Pierre Mauroy               1988-1992        
Laurent Fabius              1992-1993         
Michel Rocard               1993-1994         
Henri Emmanuelli            1994-1995           
Lionel Jospin               1995-1997         
François Hollande           1997-

History 4 May 1969 (Alfortville Congress) and 11-13 Jul 1969 (Issy-les-Moulineaux Congress): the new PS is founded as the merger of SFIO (f. 23-25 Apr 1905, Globe Congress) and several socialist clubs, including Alain Savary's Union of Clubs for Renewal of the Left (UCRG) and Jean Poperen's Union of Socialist Groups and Clubs (UGCS); 11-13 Jun 1971 (Épinay-sur-Seine Congress): F. Mitterrand's Convention of Republican Institutions (CIR, f. 1964), merges with PS; Oct 1974: some members of PSU (Michel Rocard, Robert Chapuis) join PS.

Leaders of RPF / RPR / UMP

General Secretaries of RPF
Roger Frey                  1958-1959 (+1997)              
Jacques Richard             1959-1961
Roger Dusseaulx             1961-1962
Jacques Baumel              1962-1967         
Robert Poujade              1968-1971         
René Tomasini               1971-1972
Alain Peyrefitte            1972-1973 (+1999) 
Alexandre Sanguinetti       1973-1974 (+1980)
Jacques Chirac              1974-1975         
André Bord                  1975-1976

Presidents of RPR
Jacques Chirac              1976-1994         
Alain Juppé                 1994-1997         
Philippe Séguin             1997-1999         
Michèle Alliot-Marie        1999-2002

President of the UMP
Alain Juppé                 2002-2004
Nicolas Sarkozy             2004-2007         
Jean-Claude Gaudin          2007-

History 7 Apr 1947: C. de Gaulle founds RPF; 6 May 1953: de Gaulle announces the party's suspension of all parliamentary and electoral activities; subsequently, in 1954 the RPF caucus at the National Assembly reorganizes itself as URAS; 13 Sep 1955: RPF is definitively disbanded; 1 Oct 1958: several Gaullist leaders creates UNR as the merger of CNRS (formerly URAS), Union for the French Renewal (URF) and Republican Convention (CR); Dec 1962: UDT (f. 14 Apr 1959) joins the party, which adopts the name of UNR-UDT; 27 Nov 1967: UNR-UDT changes its name to UDVe; Oct 1968: UDVe changes its name to Union for the Defense of the Republic (UDR); 1971: UDR is kept, but meaning now Union of Democrats for the Republic; 5 Dec 1976: RPR is launched as the successor of UDR; 21 Sep 2002: RPR ceases to exist as it merges with DL, Rad. and PPDF into the new UMP. UMP, with the name Union for the Presidential Majority, was formally launched 23 Apr 2002 on initiative of several center/right leaders (Gaullist and non-Gaullist) to support president Chirac. Pending a foundation congress, the four comprising parties, RPR, DL, Rad. and PPDF, carried out a process of dissolution. On Nov 17, 2002 the UMP held the founding congress and adopted the name Union for a Popular Movement.

Presidents of UDF

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing    1966-1974         
Michel Poniatowski          1975-1977 (+2002)
Jean Lecanuet               1978-1988 (+1993) 
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing    1988-1996         
François Léotard            1996-1998
Alain Madelin               1997         
François Bayrou             1998-

History and members 1 Jun 1966: V. Giscard d'Estaing founds FNRI from the previous RI (f. Dec 1962) and joins the presidential majority supporting de Gaulle; 19-20 May 1977 (Fréjus Congress): FNRI merges with several groups and committees pro-Giscard and forms PR; 1 Feb 1978: PR is the leading founding member of UDF; 24 Jun 1997: PR changes its name to DL with the addition of some members of PPDF; 16 May 1998: DL quits UDF and some dissidents forms PRIL; 21 Sep 2002: DL ceases to exist as it merges with RPR, Rad. and PPDF into the new UMP.1 Feb 1978: UDF is launched as a confederation of five center and right, non-Gaullist parties. The original members were:
-PR: leader: Jean-Pierre Soisson; called FNRI to 1977 and DL since 1997.
-CDS: leader: Jean Lecanuet (+1993); called FD since 1995 in the merger with PSD.
-Rad.: leader: Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber
-MDSF: leader: Max Lejeune (+1995);, f. 1973 by dissidents of PS; Oct 1982: MDSF changes its name to PSD; 25 Nov 1995: merges with CDS to form FD.
-CPR: leader: Jean-Pierre Fourcade: f. May 1965; 1 Jul 1995: is replaced by PPDF, launched by H. de Charette.
16 Sep 1998: the New UDF is introduced as a single party, comprising FD, Rad., PPDF and the so-called adhérents directs. PRIL is absorbed by FD.
23 Apr-17 Nov 2002: the creation of UMP (RPR + DL + Rad. + PPDF) supposes that UDF consists merely of Bayrou's FD.

General Secretaries of PCF

Maurice Thorez              1930-1964 (+1964) 
Waldeck Rochet              1964-1972 (+1983) 
Georges Marchais            1972-1994 (+1997)  
Robert Hue                  1994-2001         
Marie-George Buffet         2001-

History 31 Dec 1920 (Tours Congress): the French Section of the Communist International (SFIC) splits from SFIO; 1943: SFIC changes its name to PCF; 2001: R. Hue leaves the National Secretary buy continues in top as the party's president.

President of FN

Jean-Marie Le Pen           1972-

History 5 Oct 1972: FN is founded; 24 Jan 1999: the breakaway faction of Bruno Mégret forms the National Front-National Movement (FN-MN); 2 Oct 1999: FN-MN becomes the National Republican Movement (MNR).