Republican Party (France)

For other uses, see Parti républicain du Québec.
Republican Party (France)
Parti Républicain
Leader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
President Jean-Pierre Soisson
Jacques Blanc
Gérard Longuet
François Léotard
Founded 20 May 1977
Dissolved 24 June 1997
Preceded by Independent Republicans[1]
Succeeded by Liberal Democracy[1]
Ideology Conservative liberalism,[2]
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre-right
National affiliation Union for French Democracy
European affiliation ELDR
European Parliament group ELDR Group
Colours Blue and red
Politics of France
Political parties
Elections

The Republican Party (Parti républicain, PR) was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966.[3] It was created by future President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. It was known to be conservative in domestic, social and economic policies, pro-NATO, and pro-European.[4]

In 1978, the Republican Party allied with centrist groups to form the Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocratie française, UDF), a confederation created in order to support President Giscard d'Estaing and counterbalance the influence of the Rally for the Republic over the right. However, after Giscard d'Estaing's defeat at the 1981 presidential election, the PR gravitated away from its founder and a new generation of politicians, led by François Léotard, took the lead.

This group called la bande à Léo ("Léo(tard)'s band"), advocated an alliance with the Neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) and covertly supported Jacques Chirac's candidacy at the 1988, against the official UDF candidate Raymond Barre.

During the 1995 presidential campaign, the PR divided again between the two main right-wing candidates: François Léotard and Gérard Longuet supported Edouard Balladur while Alain Madelin and Jean-Pierre Raffarin supported Jacques Chirac, who won.

Until the split of the UDF confederation in 1998, the Republican Party was its liberal component, advocating economic liberalism. In 1997, it was replaced by Liberal Democracy (Démocratie libérale, DL), led by Alain Madelin.

Presidents

Independent Republicans

Republican Party

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 David S. Bell (2002), French Politics Today, Manchester University Press, p. 88
  2. ↑ Carol Diane St Louis (2011). Negotiating Change: Approaches to and the Distributional Implications of Social Welfare and Economic Reform. Stanford University. p. 77.
  3. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/498826/Republican-Party
  4. ↑ Cook, Chris; Francis, Mary (1979). The first European elections: A handbook and guide. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0-333-26575-0.