François Mitterrand was the first president of the French Fifth Republic

Explanation

Mitterrand was the 21st president of France, serving from 1981 to 1995. The first president of the Fifth Republic, France's current regime since 1958, was Charles de Gaulle (1959-1969). A WWI officer and prisoner of war, de Gaulle issued the famous Appeal of 18 June 1940 from London, calling on the French to keep fighting (French Resistance), and was elected president on December 21, 1958.