sentences:  The President of the Republic was given a largely symbolic role, although he remained chief of the Army and as a last resort could be called upon to resolve conflicts.The PCF won the most votes of any party in the November 1946 elections, achieving 28.8% of the vote and prompting the Communist Maurice Thorez to make an unsuccessful bid for the presidency of the Council.The 1946 Constitution establishing the Fourth Republic, (1947–1958) created a parliamentary Republic, as distinct from the presidentialism which would characterize the Fifth Republic (1958-).