Sixty years after the first presidential election based on universal suffrage, the Ifop survey for Paris Match and the Observatoire Histoire & Vie publique reveals a strong attachment to this election, combined with reservations about its personalization and place in public life.nnIn detail, 89% feel that the presidential election is too focused on people and not enough on ideas (+7 points since 2022). At the same time, 78% consider it “indispensable to our democratic life” (+3 points). The method of appointment remains widely accepted: 74% consider that electing the president by universal suffrage is appropriate to the country’s challenges (+6), and 78% reject the idea of a choice by a college of electors.nnLooking ahead to 2027, 76% see the presidential election as an opportunity to get the country moving again; 63% believe it can help resolve the situation of political instability and parliamentary deadlock; and 57% believe that the ensuing legislative elections could produce an absolute majority in the National Assembly.nnNevertheless, reservations persist: 70% feel that the presidential election confers too much power on the Head of State, and 57% that it occupies an excessive place in public debate, while only 48% see it as a propitious moment to discuss substantive issues.nnFinally, the political memory of 1965: Charles de Gaulle’s election remains the most memorable for 56% of French people, ahead of 1981 (Mitterrand, 44%) and 1995 (Chirac, 33%). Younger people are more likely to cite recent elections – 2012 and 2022 top the list for 18-24 year-olds.
The French view of the presidential election 60 years after the first election of the President of the Republic by universal suffrage
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