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French legislative election, 1981
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| France |
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French legislative election took place on June 14 and 21, 1981 to elect the 7th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.
On May 10, 1981 François Mitterrand is elected President of France. He became the first Socialist to rise to this post by the universal suffrage. That was the first alternance of the Fifth Republic.
The new head of State nominated Pierre Mauroy to lead a Socialist cabinet. Then, he dissolved the National Assembly in order that it could rely on a parliamentary majority.
The Socialists achieved the biggest electoral success of their history. This result marked the triumph of Mitterrand's strategy. Like the Gaullist UDR in 1968, the Socialist Party obtained an absolute parliamentary majority. Its Communist partner declined. However, four Communists fit in government. That was the first PCF governmental participation since 1947.
The previous right-wing majority is down-cast. It was victim of the economic crisis, the will of changes, the rivalry between Jacques Chirac and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and the defeat of this one at the second round of the presidentail election. The creation of the "Union for a New Majority" has not convinced voters. It appeared as a false reconciliation.
| Parties and coalitions | Abbr. | Votes (1st round) | % (1st round) | Seats (2nd round) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party (Parti socialiste) | PS | 9 077 435 | 36.0 | 266 | |
| French Communist Party (Parti communiste français) | PCF | 4 065 962 | 16.1 | 44 | |
| Movement of Left Radicals (Mouvement des radicaux de gauche) | MRG | 354 632 | 1.4 | 14 | |
| Miscellaneous Left-wing | DVG | 187 230 | 0.7 | 9 | |
| Total "Presidential Majority" (Left) | 13 685 259 | 54.3 | 333 | ||
| Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la République) | RPR | 5 258 328 | 20.9 | 85 | |
| Union for French Democracy ( union pour la démocratie française) | UDF | 4 835 552 | 19.2 | 62 | |
| Miscellaneous Right-wing | DVD | 706 926 | 2.8 | 11 | |
| Total "Union for a New Majority" (Right) | 10 800 806 | 42.9 | 158 | ||
| Far-Left | 343 831 | 1.4 | - | ||
| Ecologists | ECO | 271 287 | 1.1 | - | |
| National Front (Front national) | FN | 90 392 | 0.4 | - | |
| Total | 25 191 575 | 100 | 491 | ||
| Abstention: 29.7% (1st round); 25.0% (2nd round) | |||||
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French legislative elections
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