French legislative election, 1978

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A French legislative election took place on March 12 and March 19, 1978 to elect the 6th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.

On April 2, 1974 President Georges Pompidou died. The non-Gaullist center-right leader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected to succeed him. Because the UDR is the main party of the majority, he chosen Jacques Chirac to lead the cabinet. This one represented a renovation of gaullism.

The presidential will to "govern towards center" and to promote a "modern liberal society" disconcerted the Gaullist party. The Abortion Act and the majority at 18 years worried a part of the conservative electorate. Furthemore, a personal conflict opposed the two heads of the executive. In August 1976, Chirac resigned.

Three months later, the UDR was replaced by the Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la République or RPR). This, Chirac's electoral machine, was officially member of the Presidential Majority, but criticized frequently the policy of President Giscard d'Estaing and his new Prime minister Raymond Barre. The executive duo reacted by the federation of the no-Gaullist center-right in the Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocartie française or UDF).

While the right-wing majority was divided, and the economic situation deteriorated, the "Union of Left" won the mid-term elections. However, Socialists and Communists did not succeeded to update their Common programme.

Contrary to what polls indicated, the Presidential Majority won but it obtained only only 2 284 votes in advance on the "Union of Left". For the first time since 1936, the Socialists obtained more votes than the Communists. Raymond Barre is confirmed as Prime minister. As of 2006, it is the most recent time that either the right or the left has won back-to-back legislative elections.

[edit] Results

[discuss] – [edit]
Parties and coalitions		Abbr.	Votes (1st round)	% (1st round)	Seats (2nd round)
	Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la République)	RPR	6 462 462	22.6	148
	Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocratie française)	UDF	6 128 849	21.5	137
	Miscellaneous Right-wing	DVD	684 985	2.4	6
	Total "Presidential Majority" (Right)		13 276 296	46.5	291
	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	6 451 151	22.6	103
	French Communist Party (Parti communiste français)	PCF	5 870 402	20.5	86
	Movement of Left Radicals (Mouvement des radicaux de gauche)	MRG	603 932	2.1	10
	Unified Socialist Party (Parti socialiste unifié)	PSU	348 527	1.2	1
	Total "Union of Left"		13 274 012	46.5	200
	Miscellaneous		710 531	0.9	-
	Ecologists	ECO	621 100	2.1	-
	Far-Left		604 561	2.1	-
	National Front (Front national)	FN	82 743	0.3	-
	Total		28 569 243	100	491
Abstention: 17.2% (1st round); 15.3 (2nd round)