Mitterrand's 1965 campaign: The candidate becomes the political message

Paris - 05.08.2026: A historical program broadcast by Franceinfo this Wednesday looks back at the 1965 presidential campaign and François Mitterrand's formula of the "young president for a modern France." The slogan relied on a sharp personal contrast: the 49-year-old Mitterrand presented himself as the representative of a renewed republic in opposition to the 75-year-old incumbent Charles de Gaulle.The 1965 election was the first presidential election of the Fifth Republic in which the head of state was elected directly by the people. The reform gave the personal presentation of candidates ...