1981 French legislative election

Legislative elections were held in France on 14 and 21 June 1981, to elect the seventh National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.

1981 French legislative election

14 June and 21 June 1981
All 491 seats to the French National Assembly 246 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	70.3% ( 12.5 pp) (1st round) 74.5% ( 4.2 pp) (2nd round)
Majority party Minority party   Leader Pierre Mauroy Jacques Chirac Party PS RPR Leader's seat Nord Corrèze Last election 103 seats 148 seats Seats won 269 85 Seat change 166 63 Popular vote 9,432,362 (1st round) 9,198,332 (2nd round) 5,231,269 (1st round) 4,174,302 (2nd round) Percentage 37.52% (1st round) 49.25% (2nd round) 20.81% (1st round) 22.35% (2nd round)   Third party Fourth party   Leader Jean Lecanuet Georges Marchais Party UDF PCF Leader's seat Seine-Maritime (Senator) none Last election 121 seats 86 seats Seats won 62 44 Seat change 59 42 Popular vote 4,827,437 (1st round) 3,489,363 (2nd round) 4,065,540 (1st round) 1,303,587 (2nd round) Percentage 19.20% (1st round) 18.68% (2nd round) 16.17% (1st round) 6.98% (2nd round)
Prime Minister before election Raymond Barre UDF Elected Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy PS

The Socialist Party (PS) achieved the biggest electoral success of their history. This result marked the triumph of Mitterrand's strategy. Like the Gaullist Union of Democrats for the Republic in 1968, the PS obtained an absolute parliamentary majority. The French Communist Party (PCF) obtained its poorest result since 1936 and lost the half of its MPs, most of them to the PS. However, four Communists became members of Pierre Mauroy's government. This was the first PCF governmental participation since 1947. The two main right-wing parliamentary parties, the Rally for the Republic (RPR) and Union for French Democracy (UDF), lost the half of their seats too. This result earned the nickname "the pink wave" from the press.

Background

On 10 May 1981 François Mitterrand was elected president, becoming the first Socialist to win a presidential election under universal suffrage. It was also the first occasion of alternance (between the right and the left) in government during the Fifth Republic.

The new head of state nominated Pierre Mauroy to lead a Socialist cabinet. He then dissolved the National Assembly so that he could rely on a parliamentary majority. The left had lost the 1978 legislative election and the full term of the National Assembly would have expired in 1983.

Campaign

Knocked out after its defeat in the recent presidential election, the right campaigned against the concentration of the powers and the possible nomination of Communist ministers. However, it suffered from the economic crisis, the will for change amongst the electorate, and the rivalry between RPR leader Jacques Chirac and previous UDF President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The formation of the Union for a New Majority appeared as a false reconciliation and so, had not convinced voters. Furthermore, as the PCF had been declining, and was no longer the dominant party of the Left, it did not seem to be a real danger.

The Communist leaders were very disappointed by the result of their candidate, Georges Marchais, in the presidential election, and very worried by the legislative elections. During the presidential campaign, the PCF had denounced the "turn towards the right" of the Socialist Party, in vain. It understood that Mitterrand was ready to win his bet, expressed in the 1972 Congress of the Socialist International, to capture 3 of the 5 million PCF voters. Perceiving the great hope of the left-wing voters after Mitterrand's election, Marchais signed a "contract of government" with the First Secretary of the PS Lionel Jospin.

Results

Party		First round			Second round			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Party	9,432,362	37.52	47	9,198,332	49.25	222	269
	Movement of Left Radicals			1			13	14
	Rally for the Republic	5,231,269	20.81	50	4,174,302	22.35	35	85
	Union for French Democracy	4,827,437	19.20	43	3,489,363	18.68	18	61
	French Communist Party	4,065,540	16.17	7	1,303,587	6.98	37	44
	Miscellaneous right	704,788	2.80	7	408,861	2.19	4	11
	Far-left	334,674	1.33	0	3,517	0.02	0	0
	Ecologists	271,688	1.08	0				0
	Miscellaneous left	183,010	0.73	1	97,066	0.52	6	7
	Far-right	90,422	0.36	0				0
Total		25,141,190	100.00	156	18,675,028	100.00	335	491
Valid votes		25,141,190	98.56		18,675,028	97.33
Invalid/blank votes		367,610	1.44		512,678	2.67
Total votes		25,508,800	100.00		19,187,706	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		36,257,433	70.35		27,757,374	69.13
Source: IPU

Parliamentary groups in the National Assembly

Party		Seats
	Socialist Group	285
	RPR Group	88
	UDF Group	62
	Communist Group	44
	Non-Inscrits	12
Total		491