1997 French legislative election

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

1997 French National Assembly

1997 French legislative election

25 May and 1 June 1997

All 577 seats to the French National Assembly
289 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout68.9% (1.0 pp) (1st round)
71.5% (2.6 pp) (2nd round)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Lionel Jospin Alain Juppé François Léotard
Party PS RPR UDF
Leader's seat Haute-Garonne-7th Gironde-2nd Var-5th
Last election 53 seats 242 seats 207 seats
Seats won 255 139 112
Seat change 202 103 95
Popular vote 5,977,045 (1st round)
9,722,022 (2nd round)
3,983,257 (1st round)
5,714,354 (2nd round)
3,617,440 (1st round)
5,284,203 (2nd round)
Percentage 23.49% (1st round)
38.20% (2nd round)
15.65% (1st round)
22.46% (2nd round)
14.22% (1st round)
20.07% (2nd round)

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Robert Hue Dominique Voynet Jean-Marie Le Pen
Party PCF LV FN
Leader's seat none none
Last election 24 seats 0 seats 1 seat
Seats won 35 7 1
Seat change 9 7 0
Popular vote 2,523,405 (1st round)
921,716 (2nd round)
1,738,287 (1st round)
414,871 (2nd round)
3,800,785 (1st round)
1,434,854 (2nd round)
Percentage 9.92% (1st round)
3.62% (2nd round)
2.80% (1st round)
1.63% (2nd round)
14.94% (1st round)
5.64% (2nd round)

Map of results by constituency

PM before election

Alain Juppé
RPR

Elected PM

Lionel Jospin
PS

In March 1993, the right won a large victory in the legislative election and a comfortable parliamentary majority. Two years later, the RPR leader Jacques Chirac was elected President of France promising to reduce the "social fracture". However, the programme of welfare reforms ("Plan Juppé") proposed by his Prime Minister Alain Juppé caused a social crisis in November and December 1995. The popularity of the executive duo decreased.

In spring 1997, President Chirac tried to take the left-wing opposition by surprise by dissolving the National Assembly. The first opinion polls indicated a re-election of the right-wing majority. The "Plural Left" coalition, composed of the Socialists, the Communists, the Greens, the Citizens' Movement and the Left Radicals, proposed a program of social reforms to reduce unemployment and legislation to limit the length of the work week to 35 hours. Prime Minister Juppé's unpopularity, as well as the unpopularity of his government's policies, contributed to the left's triumph.

In the first round, the left-wing coalition obtained more votes than the incumbent parliamentary majority. After he was blamed for the situation, Juppé announced he would resign even if the right kept their majority in the runoff vote. For all that, the "Plural left" obtained the majority of the seats. However the Socialist Party needed its allies to form a majority. For the first time, the ecologists were represented in the Parliament. The participation of the National Front's candidates in the second round increased the defeat of the "Presidential majority".

This was the first time since 1877 that a President of France lost a legislative election which he had called. The Socialist leader Lionel Jospin became Prime Minister of the third "cohabitation". It finished with the 2002 French presidential election, which Jospin lost the election in the first round.

Results

 Summary of the 25 May and 1 June 1997 French National Assembly elections results
Parties and coalitions 1st round 2nd round Total seats
Votes % Votes %
Socialist Party PS 5,977,045 23.49 9,722,022 38.20 255
French Communist Party PCF 2,523,405 9.92 921,716 3.62 35
The Greens LV 1,738,287 6.83 414,871 1.63 7
Miscellaneous Left DVG 713,082 2.80 543,789 2.14 4
Radical-Socialist Party PRS 389,782 1.53 558,959 2.20 12
Citizens' Movement MDC 263,490 1.04 see DVG see DVG 7
Total "Plural Left" 11,605,091 45.61 12,161,357 47.79 320
Rally for the Republic RPR 3,983,257 15.65 5,714,354 22.46 139
Union for French Democracy UDF 3,617,440 14.22 5,284,203 20.07 112
Miscellaneous Right DVD 1,073,014 4.22 594,862 2.34 0
The Independent Right LDI 606,355 2.38 see DVD see DVD 2
Total "Presidential Majority" (Right) 9,280,066 36.50 11,593,419 46.02 253
National Front FN 3,800,785 14.94 1,434,854 5.64 1
Far-Left 644,051 2.53 - - 0
Miscellaneous 354,249 1.39 ? ? 3
Others Far-Right 26,759 0.11 - - 0
Total 25,423,790 100.00 25,189,630 100.00 577
Abstention: 32.09% (1st round); 28.48% (2nd round)
Popular vote (first round)
PS
23.53%
RPR
15.70%
FN
14.94%
UDF
14.21%
PCF
9.94%
The Greens
6.81%
DVD
6.59%
DVG
2.79%
EXG
2.52%
PRS
1.44%
Others
1.49%
Popular vote (second round)
PS
38.20%
RPR
22.46%
UDF
20.07%
FN
5.64%
PCF
3.62%
DVD
2.34%
PRS
2.20%
DVG
2.14%
The Greens
1.63%
Others
1.70%
Seats won
PS
44.19%
RPR
24.09%
UDF
19.41%
PCF
6.07%
PRS
2.08%
The Greens
1.21%
MDC
1.21%
DVG
0.69%
Others
1.05%

11th Assembly by Parliamentary Group

Group Members Caucusing Total
  Socialist Group 242 8 250
  RPR Group 136 6 140
  UDF Group 107 6 113
  Communist Group 34 2 36
  Radical, Citizen and Green 33 0 33
  Non-Inscrits 5 0 5
Total: 555 22 577
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