French legislative election, 1997

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French legislative election took place in May 25 and June 1, 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. It was the consequence of President Jacques Chirac's decision to anticipate the legislative election one year before the deadline.

Jacques Chirac was elected in May 1995 to reduce the "social fracture". His Prime minister Alain Juppé relied on a large conservative parliamentary majority. His plan of Welfare States's reforms ("Plan Juppé") caused a social crisis in November and December 1995. The executive duo became impopular.

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 proposed a program of social reforms to reduce unemployment. It contained the reduction of work time to 35 hours. Alain Juppé's unpopularity may have made the left's win easier.

That was the first time since 1877 a President of France lost a legislative election which he was the cause. The Socialist leader Lionel Jospin became Prime minister of the third "cohabitation". It finished with the 2002 French presidential election.

[edit] Results

[discuss] – [edit]
Parties and coalition		Abbr.	Votes (1st round)	% (1st round)	Seats (2nd round)
	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	5 961 612	23,5	246
	French Communist Party (Parti communiste français)	PCF	2 519 281	9,9	37
	The Greens (Les Verts)		918 873	3,6	7
	Miscalleaneous Left-wing	DVG	435 122	1,7	9
	Radical-Socialist Party (Parti radical-socialiste)	PRS	366 067	1,5	13
	Citizens' Movement (Mouvement des citoyens)	MDC	255 483	1,0	7
	Total "Plural Left"		10 456 438	41,3	319
	Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la République)	RPR	3 977 964	15,7	140
	Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocartie française)	UDF	3 601 279	14,2	109
	Miscalleaneous Right-wing	DVD	1 065 271	4,2	6
	Movement for France (Mouvement pour la France)	MPF	606 355	2,4	2
	Total "Presidential Majority" (Right)		9 250 869	36,5	257
	National Front (Front national)	FN	3 785 383	14,9	1
	Others Ecologists		807 145	3,2	-
	Far-Left		638 710	2,5	-
	Miscalleaneous		351 503	1,4	-
	Others Far-Right		26 438	0,1	-
	Total		25 344 486	100	577
Abstention: 32,1% (1st round); 28,9% (2nd round)