French Presidential Election, 2002

Second Round

President: colspan="2" | Jacques Chirac, Rally for the Republic (RPR)
Opponent: colspan="3" | Jean-Marie Le Pen, Front National
Vote: Jacques Chirac (Winner): 25,540,873 (82.21%) Jean-Marie Le Pen (Opponent): 5,525,906 (17.79%)

First Round

Candidate Party Vote Percent
Jacques Chirac Rally for the Republic (RPR) align="right" | 5,666,440 align="right" | 19.88%
Jean-Marie Le Pen Front National align="right" | 4,805,307 align="right" | 16.86%
Lionel Jospin Socialist Party (PS) align="right" | 4,610,749 align="right" | 16.18%
Franois Bayrou Union for French Democracy (UDF) align="right" | 1,949,436 align="right" | 6.84%
Arlette Laguiller Lutte Ouvrire (Worker's struggle) align="right" | 1,630,244 align="right" | 5.72%
Jean-Pierre Chevnement Mouvement des Citoyens (Citizens' movement) align="right" | 1,518,901 align="right" | 5.33%
Nol Mamre Les Verts (The Greens) align="right" | 1,495,901 align="right" | 5.25%
Olivier Besancenot Ligue Communiste Rvolutionnaire (Communist Revolutionary League) align="right" | 1,210,694 align="right" | 4.25%
Jean Saint-Josse Chasse, Pche, Nature, Traditions (Hunting, Fishing, Nature and Traditions) align="right" | 1,204,863 align="right" | 4.23%
Alain Madelin Dmocratie Librale (Liberal Democracy) align="right" | 1,113,709 align="right" | 3.91%
Robert Hue French Communist Party (PCF) align="right" | 960,757 align="right" | 3.37%
Bruno Mgret Mouvement National Rpublicain (National Republican Movement) align="right" | 667,123 align="right" | 2.34%
Christiane Taubira Parti radical de gauche align="right" | 660,576 align="right" | 2.32%
Corinne Lepage Citoyennet Action Participation align="right" | 535,911 align="right" | 1.88%
Christine Boutin close to UDF align="right" | 339,142 align="right" | 1.19%
Daniel Gluckstein Parti des travailleurs align="right" | 132,702 align="right" | 0.47%
  Total align="right" | 28,502,455 align="right" | 100%

General Summary

This election 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. In the months before the election, the campaign had increasingly focused on questions of law and order, with a particular attention towards crime committed by the youth, especially the youth of foreign origin. The Jospin government was criticized for its "softness" on crime. 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". The choice between Chirac, who was at the time under investigation for actions carried out whilst he was mayor of Paris (see corruption scandals in the Paris region) and who was benefiting from Presidential immunity, and Le Pen, a nationalist often accused of racism and antisemitism, was one that many found tough. In the days before the second ballot, a memorable poster was put up of Chirac with the slogan "Vote for a Crook, not a Fascist". Chirac defeated Le Pen by a landslide. See also: President of France, France, Politics of France

External links

Official French government links are in French.

 

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