France: Transition: 1795

The Constitution of the Year III enacted by the Convention nationale (National Convention) on 5 Fructidor, Year III (22 Aug 1795) provided for election of a new legislature, Corps législatif, consisting of the Conseil des Anciens (Council of Ancients) and Conseil des Cinq-Cents (Council of Five Hundred), and a new executive body, Directoire exécutif (Executive Directory). The decrees passed by the National Convention (22 Aug 1795, 30 Aug 1795) appointed 4 Brumaire, Year IV (26 Oct 1795) as the last day of the Convention's sessions. Foreseeing a hiatus in transition to a new political structure of the French Republic, the Convention passed the Law of 30 Vendémiaire, Year IV (22 Oct 1795), which among other provisions proclaimed that starting at 12:00 (noon) 26 Oct 1795 the Comité de sûreté générale (Committee of General Security) would assume administrative functions exercised by the Comité de législation (Committee of Legislation) and that the Comité de salut public (Committee of Public Safety) would take over the functions of all other committees of the National Convention. Avoiding an explicit reference to exercising the executive functions, normally belonging to a head of state, the Law of 30 Vendémiaire invested the Committee of Public Safety with broad authority until the date of installation of the Executive Directory. The Committee issued the last of its resolutions on 4 Nov 1795.

The National Convention held its last session on 26 Oct 1795. Three hundred seventy-nine former conventionnels, re-elected to the Corps législatif, convened on 27 Oct 1795 at the salle des Machines, Palais des Tuileries and formed an electoral assembly, which elected 104 more deputies out of their former colleagues, closing the session by 21:00 27 Oct 1795. The Corps législatif immediately proceeded with the election of the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. The election results were proclaimed in the early hours of 28 Oct 1795 and the Corps législatif adjourned until 14:00 28 Oct 1795. When it convened again, the new legislature was inaugurated and divided into separate sessions at the Salle des Machines, Palais des Tuileries (Ancients) and the Salle du Manège (Five Hundred). A list of 50 candidates nominated by the Five Hundred was passed to the Council of Ancients for final selection of the five Directory members. Elected by the Ancients on 1 Nov 1795, the Executive Directory held its constituent meeting on 2 Nov 1795 and immediately assumed executive authority, making a number of appointments, though the official proclamation on the installation was delayed until 4 Nov 1795 due to election of the fifth director in view of resignation of Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès. Information source: [1]