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French President - Preparatory Vote

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> France > President

Office

President

Honorific

President - Abbr: President

Type

Primary Election

Filing Deadline

January 16, 1920 - 12:00pm Central

Polls Open

January 16, 1920 - 02:00pm Central

Polls Close

January 16, 1920 - 04:00pm Central

Term Start

January 17, 1920 - 12:00pm

Term End

September 24, 1920 - 12:00pm

Contributor

La Fayette

Last Modified

La Fayette April 17, 2012 04:28am

Data Sources

Histoire Politique de la IIIème République, la législature 1919-1924.

Description

With the armistice of 1918 and the signature of the peace treaty of Versailles during his term as President of the Council, Georges Clemenceau was seen as the unchallenged favourite for the french Presidential vote hold at the National Assembly in january 1920.

However, he refused to announce his candidacy, only permitting his friends to write-in his name during the preparatory vote. Meanwhile, the anti-Clemenceau forces united behind the declared candidacy of the President of the National Assembly, Paul Deschanel. The preparatory vote ended with the surprising, even if narrow, victory of Paul Deschanel against Clemenceau, who refused to run in the official election the next day, and declared that he wouldn't serve if elected President.

Left without major opposition, Deschanel was largely elected by the French Congress on saturday, january 17th 1920. The decision of the National Assembly was vigorously criticized by the french and international press, who couldn't understand how the National Assembly could refuse the Presidency to one of the victor of World War I.