(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in France hold positive views on a former Socialist Party (PS) head of state, according to a poll by CSA published in Libération. 35 per cent of respondents believe François Mitterrand is the best president of the Fifth Republic.

Charles de Gaulle is second on the list with 30 per cent, followed by Jacques Chirac with 12 per cent, Georges Pompidou with seven per cent, and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing with five per cent.

Mitterrand lost two presidential elections—to de Gaulle in 1965 and to Giscard d'Estaing in 1974—before winning in 1981 as the Socialist candidate, and earning re-election in 1988.

As president, Mitterrand moved to abolish the death penalty in France, and imposed the annual wealth tax. He is also credited for developing and supporting the Maastricht Treaty with German chancellor Helmut Kohl, which led to the creation and expansion of the European Union (EU).

France's Fifth Republic began in October 1958, with the introduction of a new constitution, which saw the European country move to a centralized, semi-presidential system.

The next presidential election is tentatively scheduled for April 2007.

Polling Data

In your view, who is the best president of the Fifth Republic?

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.