List of Presidents of the French Senate
|
|
This article is part of the series
French Officials |
| President of France |
| Prime Minister of France Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Presidents of the Senate (List) |
The French Senate is the Upper House of the French Parliament. It is presided over by a President. Although there had been Senates in both the First and Second Empires, these had not technically been legislative bodies, but rather advisory bodies on the model of the Roman Senate. France's first experience with an upper house was under the Directory from 1795 to 1799, when the Council of Ancients was the upper chamber. With the Restoration in 1814, a new Chamber of Peers was created, on the model of the British House of Lords. At first it contained hereditary peers, but following the July Revolution of 1830, it became a body to which one was appointed for life. The Second Republic returned to a unicameral system after 1848, but soon after the establishment of the Third Republic in 1870, a Senate was established as the upper chamber. In the Fourth Republic, the Senate was renamed the Council of the Republic, but its function was largely the same. With the new constitution of the Fifth Republic in 1959, the older name of Senate was restored.
The President of the Senate, in addition to his duties as presiding officer of the Upper House of parliament, is also, according to the constitution of the Fifth Republic, first in line of succession in case of death or resignation of the president, thus becoming Acting President of the Republic until a new election can be held.
Presidents of the Senate, 1876-1940
Presidents of the Council of the Republic, 1946-1958
| President | Began | Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Auguste Champetier de Ribes | 27 December 1946 | 6 March 1947 |
| Gaston Monnerville | 18 March 1947 | 4 October 1958 |
Presidents of the Senate, 1958-present
| President | Began | Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Gaston Monnerville | 4 October 1958 | 2 October 1968 |
| Alain Poher | 2 October 1968 | 2 October 1992 |
| René Monory | 2 October 1992 | 1 October 1998 |
| Christian Poncelet | 1 October 1998 | present |