# Direct presidential election approved (1962)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1962-direct-presidential-election-approved
Location: France
Categories: main-event

A referendum established election of the president by direct universal suffrage. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Charles de Gaulle (President of the French Republic). Direct presidential election approved mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Direct presidential election approved mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated.

Ruler at the time: [Charles de Gaulle](https://history-france.com/rulers/charles-de-gaulle-1959)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Direct presidential election approved](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Direct+presidential+election+approved&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Direct presidential election approved](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Direct+presidential+election+approved)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)
- [Élysée — Presidents of the Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-presidents-of-the-republic)