unity behind De Gaulle, then broke with him in 1962 over his opposition to extending European economic integration into the realm of political integration. Faced with the Gaullist hegemony When De Gaulle proposed a referendum on presidential election by universal suffrage, the MRP took part in the "coalition of the no". De Gaulle dissolved the National Assembly and the MRP suffered a serious electoral defeat. In 1963, Jean Lecanuet took the leadership in order to renew the party's image. He was a candidate at the 1965 presidential election and was third (15%) behind De Gaulle and Socialist François Mitterrand. Then he created the Democratic Centre by merging MRP members with the National Center of Independents and Peasants (CNIP). The MRP itself disbanded in 1967, while some historical personalities of the party (such as Maurice Schumann) joined the Gaullist party Union of Democrats for the Fifth Republic. Presidents 1944–1949: Maurice Schumann 1949–1952: Georges Bidault 1952–1956: Pierre-Henri Teitgen 1956–1959: Pierre Pflimlin 1959–1963: André Colin 1963–1965: Jean Lecanuet Members Abbé Pierre (1912–2007), MRP deputy from 1946 to 1951 Robert Lecourt (1908–2004), MRP deputy from 1946 to 1958, later Judge and President of the European Court of Justice. French Parliament See also Ligue de la jeune République founded in 1912 by Marc Sangnier References Further reading Béthouart, Bruno. "Entry of the Catholics into the Republic: The Mouvement Républicain Populaire in France" in Michael Gehler and Wolfram Kaiser, eds. Christian Democracy in Europe since 1945 (Routledge, 2004) pages=74–87. Capelle, Russell B. The MRP and French foreign policy (1963).online Irving, R.E.M. Christian Democracy in France (2010). Rauch, R. William. Politics and belief in contemporary France: Emmanuel Mounier and Christian democracy, 1932–1950 (Springer Science & Business Media, 2012). Woloch, Isser. "Left, right and centre: the MRP and the post-war moment." French History 21.1 (2007): 85-106. Defunct political parties in France Catholic political parties Right-wing parties in France Political parties established in 1944 Political parties disestablished in 1967 French Fourth Republic Defunct Christian political parties Christian democratic parties in Europe 1944 establishments in France 1967 disestablishments in France Centrist parties in France Pro-European political parties in France