French presidential debates
Encyclopedia
French presidential debates traditionally occur between the two round
s of the presidential elections, and are broadcast on TV.
's decision to propose a referendum on the establishment of the election of the President of the French Republic
under universal suffrage
. Alain Peyrefitte
, Minister of Information
, decided to enact the rule that rival candidates will dispose of the same amount of time to speak .
The first such televised debate occurred between François Mitterrand
and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
in 1974
, on the ORTF, and was presented by Jacqueline Baudriller and Alain Duhamel
. Giscard was said by Mitterrand to have won the election with his pun: "you don't have the monopoly of the heart."
when Mitterrand upstaged d'Estaing and won. In 1988
, after two years of cohabitation
, the debate opposed Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac
. Each candidate had 50 minutes to speak, with an additional 3 minutes conclusion at the end of the show. During the most famous moment of the debate, Jacques Chirac declared to Mitterrand:
A request to which Mitterrand famously responded:
, Chirac refused to meet far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen
.
The 2007 Presidential debate opposed Nicolas Sarkozy
and Ségolène Royal
, the two candidates with the most votes from the first round of voting on 22 April. They were presented by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor
and Arlette Chabot
. The two sides had alternatively agreed and backed off to holding such a debate. It finally took place on May 2, 2007, and was watched by 20 million viewers, more than in 1995 (16.78 million viewers) but fewer than in 1988 and 1981, when 30 million people had watched the debate . The first opinion poll about the debate indicated that 53% of the sampling frame thought that Nicolas Sarkozy was more convincing, while 31% thought that it was Ségolène Royale who was.
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
s of the presidential elections, and are broadcast on TV.
1974
The role of TV in French presidential election became prominent after Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's decision to propose a referendum on the establishment of the election of the President of the French Republic
President of the French Republic
The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
under universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. Alain Peyrefitte
Alain Peyrefitte
Alain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
, Minister of Information
Minister of Information (France)
The Minister of Information was a cabinet member in the Government of France from 1938 to 1974. The position no longer exists.-Ministers of Information:*Ludovic-Oscar Frossard 13 March 1938 - 10 April 1938...
, decided to enact the rule that rival candidates will dispose of the same amount of time to speak .
The first such televised debate occurred between François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
in 1974
French presidential election, 1974
Presidential elections were held in :France in 1974, following the death of President Georges Pompidou. They went to a second round, and were won by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing by a margin of 1.6%...
, on the ORTF, and was presented by Jacqueline Baudriller and Alain Duhamel
Alain Duhamel
Alain Duhamel is a prominent French journalist and political commentator.In 1963, Duhamel started working at Le Monde. He started giving talks on Europe 1 from 1974...
. Giscard was said by Mitterrand to have won the election with his pun: "you don't have the monopoly of the heart."
1981 and 1988
They reprised their performance in the next election in 1981French presidential election, 1981
The French presidential election of 1981 took place on 10 May 1981, giving the presidency of France to François Mitterrand, the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic....
when Mitterrand upstaged d'Estaing and won. In 1988
French presidential election, 1988
Presidential elections were held in France on 24 April and 8 May 1988.In 1981, the Socialist Party leader, François Mitterrand, was elected President of France and the Left won the legislative election. However, in 1986, the Right regained a parliamentary majority. President Mitterrand was forced...
, after two years of cohabitation
Cohabitation (government)
Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the...
, the debate opposed Mitterrand and 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...
. Each candidate had 50 minutes to speak, with an additional 3 minutes conclusion at the end of the show. During the most famous moment of the debate, Jacques Chirac declared to Mitterrand:
"Allow me to say that this evening, I am not the Prime minister, and you are not the President of the Republic: we are two candidates... equals... and that submit themselves to the judgment of the French... the only one that counts. You will therefore permit me to call you Monsieur Mitterrand!"
A request to which Mitterrand famously responded:
"But you are perfectly correct, Monsieur le Premier ministre!"
1995, 2002 and 2007
In 2002French presidential election, 2002
The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in...
, Chirac refused to meet far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
.
The 2007 Presidential debate opposed Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal , known as Ségolène Royal, is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the French Socialist Party...
, the two candidates with the most votes from the first round of voting on 22 April. They were presented by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor
Patrick Poivre d'Arvor
Patrick Poivre d'Arvor is a French TV journalist and writer. He is a household name in France, and nicknamed PPDA. With over 30 years and in excess of 4,500 editions of television news to his credit, he was one of the longest serving newsreaders in the world until he was fired in 2008...
and Arlette Chabot
Arlette Chabot
Arlette Chabot is a prominent French journalist and political commentator. She was until August 2010 the head of the editorial team of France 2...
. The two sides had alternatively agreed and backed off to holding such a debate. It finally took place on May 2, 2007, and was watched by 20 million viewers, more than in 1995 (16.78 million viewers) but fewer than in 1988 and 1981, when 30 million people had watched the debate . The first opinion poll about the debate indicated that 53% of the sampling frame thought that Nicolas Sarkozy was more convincing, while 31% thought that it was Ségolène Royale who was.
External links
- Documentary on the presidential debates (INAINAINA as an acronym may refer to: by IOC country code* Indian National Army was an Indian nationalist force during World War II aimed at overthrowing British rule over India* Indian Naval Academy* INA, a division of the Schaeffler Group...
) - 1974 video of the debate (INAINAINA as an acronym may refer to: by IOC country code* Indian National Army was an Indian nationalist force during World War II aimed at overthrowing British rule over India* Indian Naval Academy* INA, a division of the Schaeffler Group...
) - 1981 video of the debate (INAINAINA as an acronym may refer to: by IOC country code* Indian National Army was an Indian nationalist force during World War II aimed at overthrowing British rule over India* Indian Naval Academy* INA, a division of the Schaeffler Group...
) - Chirac-Mitterrand, extract from 1988 (video)