French 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 (Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen) on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in the runoff election. Journalists and politicians then claimed that polls had failed to predict his second place finish in the general election, though Le Pen's strong stance could be seen in the week prior to the election. This led to serious discussions about polling techniques and the climate of French politics. Although Le Pen's political party National Front describes itself as mainstream conservative, non-partisan observers conclude that it is a far right party. Chirac had one of the biggest landslides in the history of French politics, winning over 82% of the vote.

Results

Opinion polls

Summary

The 2002 election was the first for which the President would be elected to a five year, instead of a seven year, term.

In the months before the election, the campaign had increasingly focused on questions of law and order, with a particular focus on crimes committed by young people, especially those of foreign origin. Lionel Jospin was, at the time, Prime Minister of France; the Jospin government was criticised for its "softness" on crime by its political opponents. Some contend that alarmist reporting on the TF1 channel and other media had overemphasised the alleged crime wave.

The first round of the election (on 21 April) came as a shock to many commentators, almost all of whom had expected the second ballot to be between Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin. Jospin's poor showing and the widespread splintering of the left-wing vote in the first round of the election meant that instead Jean-Marie Le Pen faced Chirac in the second ballot. The election brought the two-round voting system into question as well as raising many concerns about apathy and the way in which the left had become so divided.

There was a widespread stirring of national public opinion, and more than one million people in France took part in street rallies, in an expression of fierce opposition to Le Pen's ideas. Some held up protest signs stating "I'm ashamed to be French," which parodied Le Pen's party slogan, "Proud to be French." Spontaneous street protests began in the night from 21 April to 22 April, then on 22 April and 23, then as follows:

• 24 April: 60,000 people in the streets protesting against Le Pen's success
• 25 April: 250,000 people in the streets protesting against Le Pen's success
• 27 April: 200,000 people in the streets protesting against Le Pen's success (including 45,000 in Paris)
• 1 May:
  • Approximately 20,000 people turned out for the National Front's yearly demonstration in Paris in honor of Joan of Arc and in support of Le Pen.
  • Approximately 1,300,000 people (according to the Ministry of the Interior, as reported in Libération^[1]), out of which more than 400,000 in Paris, turned up to the Labor Day demonstrations and against the National Front. Hundreds of thousands of people who normally did not take part in such demonstrations came, in addition to the usual unions. In another unusual sight for 1 May demonstrations, French tricolour flags were commonplace.

The choice between Chirac, who was under suspicion for actions carried out whilst he was mayor of Paris (see corruption scandals in the Paris region) but benefited from Presidential immunity as long as he stayed president, and Le Pen, a nationalist often accused of racism and antisemitism, was one that many found tough. Some people suggested going to vote with a clothes peg on their noses to express disgust when voting for Chirac, but this may have been illegal, because it is prohibited to advertise one's vote inside the voting precinct. In the days before the second ballot, a memorable poster was put up of Chirac with the slogan "Vote for the Crook, not the Fascist". Chirac defeated Le Pen by a landslide.

See also

• President of France
• France
• Politics of France

References

Further reading

• Miguet, A. (October 2002). "The French Elections of 2002: After the Earthquake, the Deluge". West European Politics 25 (4): 207–220. doi:10.1080/713601633. 

External links

Official results

• (French) Official results from the Constitutional Council of France : 1st round, 2nd round

Commentary

• (French) 2002 Presidential Vote Results by Commune, Politiquemania.com
• (English)/(French) French 2002 Presidential Election, Mission of a Delegation from the Canadian Branch of the Canada-France Inter-parliamentary Association
• Analysis of the voting anomaly on FindLaw
• Fascism in France? Commentary on the 2002 French Presidential Elections
• Philosophical considerations of the very singular custom of voting: an analysis based on recent ballots in France