 In that situation, besides his own political skills, Diệm had to trust in his relatives and the backing of his American supporters to overcome the obstacles and neutralize his opponents.On 21 July 1954, the Geneva Accords temporarily partitioned Vietnam at the 17th parallel, pending elections in 1956 to reunify the country.The Democratic Republic of Vietnam controlled the north, while the French-backed State of Vietnam controlled the south with Diệm as the Prime Minister.