French legislative election, 1986
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The French legislative elections took place on March 16 1986 to elect the 8th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Contrary to other legislative elections of the Fifth Republic, the electoral system used was that of Party-list proportional representation.
Since the 1981 election of François Mitterrand, the Presidential Majority was divided. In March 1983, Prime minister Pierre Mauroy renounced the left Common Programme. Wages and prices were frozen. This change of economic policy was justified by the will to stay in the European Monetary System. One year later, the Communist ministers refused to remain in Laurent Fabius's cabinet.
In opposition, the two main right-wing parties tried to forget their past quarrel. In this, they won the mid-term elections and the battle about private schools in 1984. The Rally for the Republic (RPR), led by Jacques Chirac, abandoned the Gaullist doctrine about economy and European construction. In this, it could sign an electoral plat-form with the Union for French Democracy (UDF).
However, France recorded the electoral rise of the National Front (FN). Its leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, made nationalist and xenophobic remarks. And he appealed to a part of the conservative electorate, notably some RPR voters. The right-wing opposition was divided about the question of an alliance with the FN. In 1985, President Mitterrand's decision to re-establish the Party-list proportional representation at the legislative election caused a polemic. The RPR/UDF opposition accused him to want strengthen the FN in order to weak the Republican Right, which was favourite according to the polls. Indeed, the proportional representation was the only electoral system which permitted the election of FN deputies.
While the polls indicated a win of RPR/UDF coalition, the former UDF Prime minister Raymond Barre argued that the next parliamentary majority should refuse to govern if President Mitterrand did not resign. Advised by Edouard Balladur, Jacques Chirac noted, however, that impeachment does not exist in the French Constitution. Instead, the next majority would "cohabit" with Mitterrand. The right-wing cabinet would enforce its home policy programme and Mitterrand kept the foreign and military affairs.
Finally, the RPR/UDF coalition obtained only two seats of majority. The Socialist Party saved more seats than the polls indicated. The FN could form a parliamentary group with its 35 elects. The decline of the French Communist Party pursued. Mitterrand nominated Chirac as Prime Minister. The first "cohabitation" of the Fifth Republic started. The new cabinet abolished the proportional representation for the next legislative elections. The "cohabitation" ended with the 1988 presidential election.
Results
|- !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left colspan=2 valign=top| Parties and coalitions !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right| Abbr. !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right| Votes !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right| % !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right| Seats |- | |align=left| Rally for the Republic/ Union for French Democracy Common lists |align=right| RPR/ UDF |align=right| 6 008 612 |align=right| 21.4 |align=right| 73 RPR 74 UDF |- |style="background-color:#0000C8"| |align=left| Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la République) |align=right| RPR |align=right| 3 143 224 |align=right| 11.2 |align=right| 76 |- |style="background-color:#00CCCC"| |align=left| Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocratie française) |align=right| UDF |align=right| 2 330 167 |align=right| 8.3 |align=right| 53 |- | |align=left| Miscellaneous Right-wing |align=right| DVD |align=right| 1 083 711 |align=right| 3.9 |align=right| 14 |- | |align=left| Total "RPR/UDF union" (Right) | |align=right| 12 565 714 |align=right| 44.8 |align=right| 290 |- |style="background-color:#E75480"| |align=left| Socialist Party (Parti socialiste) |align=right| PS |align=right| 8 693 939 |align=right| 31.0 |align=right| 206 |- |style="background-color:#FF0000"| |align=left| French Communist Party (Parti communiste français) |align=right| PCF |align=right| 2 739 925 |align=right| 9.8 |align=right| 35 |- | |align=left| Miscellaneous Left-wing |align=right| DVG |align=right| 357 107 |align=right| 1.3 |align=right| 5 |- |style="background-color:#FFD1DC"| |align=left| Movement of Left Radicals (Mouvement des radicaux de gauche) |align=right| MRG |align=right| 107 769 |align=right| 0.4 |align=right| 2 |- | |align=left| Total Left ("Presidential Majority" and PCF) | |align=right| 11 898 740 |align=right| 42.5 |align=right| 248 |- |style="background-color:#704214"| |align=left| National Front (Front national and Rassemblement national) |align=right| FN |align=right| 2 703 442 |align=right| 9.7 |align=right| 35 |- |style="background-color:#960018"| |align=left| Far-Left | |align=right| 430 352 |align=right| 1.5 |align=right| - |- |style="background-color:#2E8B57"| |align=left| Ecologists |align=right| ECO |align=right| 340 109 |align=right| 1.2 |align=right| - |- | |align=left| Miscellaneous | |align=right| 85 811 |align=right| 0.3 |align=right| - |- | |align=left| Total | |align=right| 28 024 168 |align=right| 100 |align=right| 573 |- |align=left colspan=6| Abstention: 21.5% |}
10th Assembly by Parliamentary Group
| Group | Members | Caucusing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Group | 196 | 16 | 212 | |
| Rally for the Republic | 147 | 8 | 155 | |
| Union pour la Démocratie Française | 114 | 17 | 131 | |
| Communiste | 32 | 3 | 35 | |
| Front National | 32 | 3 | 35 | |
| Non-Inscrits | 9 | 0 | 9 | |
| Total | 533 | 44 | 577 | |
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