French legislative election, 1997
Encyclopedia
French legislative election took place on 25 May and 1 June 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic
. It was the consequence of President Jacques Chirac
's decision to call the legislative election one year before the deadline.
In March 1993, the right obtained a large victory in the legislative election
and a comfortable parliamentary majority. Two years later, the RPR
leader Jacques Chirac was elected President of France promising to reduce the "social fracture". However, the programme of welfare reforms ("Plan Juppé") proposed by his Prime Minister Alain Juppé
caused a social crisis in November and December 1995. The popularity of the executive duo decreased.
In spring 1997, President Chirac tried to take the left-wing opposition by surprise by breaking up the National Assembly. The first polls indicated a re-election of the right-wing majority. The "Plural Left" coalition, composed of the Socialists
, the Communists
, the Greens
, the Citizens' Movement
and the Left Radicals
, proposed a program of social reforms to reduce unemployment, limiting the length of the work week to 35 hours. Alain Juppé's unpopularity may have made the left's win easier.
In the first round, the left-wing coalition obtained more votes than the incumbent parliamentary majority. The National Front achieved its best result in a legislative election. The right obtained its worst result in a legislative election during the Fifth Republic
.
After he was blamed for the situation, Alain Juppé announced he would resign even if the right kept their majority in the National Assembly after the second round. For all that, the "Plural left" obtained the majority of the seats. However the Socialist Party
needed its allies to form a majority. For the first time, the ecologists are represented in the Parliament. The participation of National Front's candidates in the second round increased the defeat of the "Presidential majority".
This was the first time since 1877 that a President of France lost a legislative election which he had called. The Socialist leader Lionel Jospin
became Prime Minister of the third "cohabitation". It finished with the 2002 French presidential election.
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
. It was the consequence of President Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
's decision to call the legislative election one year before the deadline.
In March 1993, the right obtained a large victory in the legislative election
French legislative election, 1993
French legislative elections took place on 21 and 28 March 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.Since 1988, President François Mitterrand and his Socialist cabinets had relied on a relative parliamentary majority. Without the support of the Communists, Prime minister...
and a comfortable parliamentary majority. Two years later, the RPR
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
leader Jacques Chirac was elected President of France promising to reduce the "social fracture". However, the programme of welfare reforms ("Plan Juppé") proposed by his Prime Minister Alain Juppé
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
caused a social crisis in November and December 1995. The popularity of the executive duo decreased.
In spring 1997, President Chirac tried to take the left-wing opposition by surprise by breaking up the National Assembly. The first polls indicated a re-election of the right-wing majority. The "Plural Left" coalition, composed of the Socialists
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
, the Communists
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
, the Greens
The Greens (France)
The Greens were a Green political party to the centre-left of the political spectrum in France. They had officially been in existence since 1984, but their spiritual roots could be traced as far back as René Dumont’s candidacy for the presidency in 1974...
, the Citizens' Movement
Citizen and Republican Movement
The Citizen and Republican Movement is a political party in France. The party replaced, in 2002, the Citizens' Movement founded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who left the Socialist Party in 1993 due to his opposition to the Persian Gulf War and to the Maastricht Treaty...
and the Left Radicals
Left Radical Party
The Radical Party of the Left is a minor social-liberal, and in opposition to its common understanding of its name, a moderate centre-left political party in France advocating radicalism, secularism to its french extend known as laïcité, progressivism, pro-Europeanism, individual freedom and...
, proposed a program of social reforms to reduce unemployment, limiting the length of the work week to 35 hours. Alain Juppé's unpopularity may have made the left's win easier.
In the first round, the left-wing coalition obtained more votes than the incumbent parliamentary majority. The National Front achieved its best result in a legislative election. The right obtained its worst result in a legislative election during the Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
.
After he was blamed for the situation, Alain Juppé announced he would resign even if the right kept their majority in the National Assembly after the second round. For all that, the "Plural left" obtained the majority of the seats. However the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
needed its allies to form a majority. For the first time, the ecologists are represented in the Parliament. The participation of National Front's candidates in the second round increased the defeat of the "Presidential majority".
This was the first time since 1877 that a President of France lost a legislative election which he had called. The Socialist leader Lionel Jospin
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Jospin is a French politician, who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.Jospin was the Socialist Party candidate for President of France in the elections of 1995 and 2002. He was narrowly defeated in the final runoff election by Jacques Chirac in 1995...
became Prime Minister of the third "cohabitation". It finished with the 2002 French presidential election.
Results
11th Assembly by Parliamentary Group
| Group | Members | Caucusing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Socialist Party (France) The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement... Group |
242 | 8 | 250 | |
| RPR Rally for the Republic The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism... Group |
136 | 6 | 140 | |
| UDF Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's... Group |
107 | 6 | 113 | |
| Communist French Communist Party The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French... Group |
34 | 2 | 36 | |
| Radical Left Radical Party The Radical Party of the Left is a minor social-liberal, and in opposition to its common understanding of its name, a moderate centre-left political party in France advocating radicalism, secularism to its french extend known as laïcité, progressivism, pro-Europeanism, individual freedom and... , Citizen Citizen and Republican Movement The Citizen and Republican Movement is a political party in France. The party replaced, in 2002, the Citizens' Movement founded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who left the Socialist Party in 1993 due to his opposition to the Persian Gulf War and to the Maastricht Treaty... and Green The Greens (France) The Greens were a Green political party to the centre-left of the political spectrum in France. They had officially been in existence since 1984, but their spiritual roots could be traced as far back as René Dumont’s candidacy for the presidency in 1974... |
33 | 0 | 33 | |
| Non-Inscrits | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total: | 555 | 22 | 577 | |