Politics in France

1. Politics in France Political parties and political elite

2. Low confidence in parties

3. Multiparty system • National Assembly election in 2002 • 79 parties presented 8,424 candidates • 4 main parties got 68% of the votes • 7 parties are in the National Assembly • formed into 5 parliamentary groups • weak party organization • fragmentary and local orientation • abstract and ideological style

4. Single-member districts

6. Main parties • Rally for the Republic (RPR) • Union for French Democracy (UDF) • National Front (FN) • Socialist Party (PS) • French Communist Party (PCF) • Greens

8. Left parties/Right parties/FN • Men 38% 42% 13% • Women 40% 43% 11% • 18-24 40% 39% 6% • 25-34 45% 26% 16% • 35-49 49% 35% 11% • 50-64 35% 49% 13% • 65+ 28% 57% 13%

9. Rally for the Republic (RPR) • Gaullist party held both presidency and premiership 1958 - 1974 • transformed into RPR by Chirac in 1974 • classic conservative constituency • older, wealthier voters • farmers • largest party in France (100,000 members)

10. Union for French Democracy • UDF • Electoral alliance of various conservative and central groups in 1978 • cooperated with RPR since 1981 • UDF split in 1998: Liberal Democracy (DL) • RPR, DL, and part of UDF formed UMP (Union for the People's Movement) in 2002

11. National Front (FN) • founded in 1972 by Le Pen • fears of immigration, the “dilution” of French nationality and culture, and European integration • present racist ideas with a more acceptable pro-family and patriotic veneer • split in 1999

12. National Front (FN) • proportional representation rule • Year Votes in 1st ballot Seats in Parliament • 1986 9.9% 35 • reversion to single-member district rule • 1988 9.8% 1 • 1993 12.7% 0 • 1997 15.1% 1 • 2002 11.3% 0

13. Duverger’s Law • Plurality single-member district election rules tend to create two-party systems in the legislature • smaller parties that receive a minority of the vote across many district receive little or no representation in Parliament • Proportional representation electoral systems generate multiple party systems in the legislature

14. 2002 elections • Presidential candid./ 1st ballot/ 2nd ballot • Chirac (RPR) 19.9% 82.2% • Le Pen (FN) 16.9% 17.8% • Jospin (PS) 16.2% • National Assembly/ 1st ballot/ Seats • RPR & DL 33.7% 357 • PS 24.1% 140 • FN 11.3% 0

15. Parties on the left • Socialist Party (PS) • support from • the salaried middle classes • professionals • civil service • teaching profession • Mitterrand’s Presidency (1981 - 1995) • classical socialist ideology was dismantled

16. Parties on the left • French Communist Party (PCF) • ceased to be a revolutionary party • electorally dominant on the left until 1978 • cooperation with PS

17. Interest groups • Connections with political parties • ideological roots and commitments • weak organizational connections with parties • relatively small membership base • 1/10 of workers, 1/2 of farmers, 3/4 of large industrial enterprises • ideological division of representation • radicalism in action and announced objectives

18. Economic policy • Gaullists’ “thirty glorious years” • nationalization of firms • General Planning Commission • state intervention • decline since 1973 • privatization and nationalization of firms • unemployment rate over 10% since 1986 • burden of the welfare state

19. Welfare state

21. Elite recruitment • Grandes écoles • ENA: National School of Administration • graduates dominate • key branches of civil service • key positions in politics • top business executives

22. “Political class” • Political elite - decision makers • Parliament members • elected local government officials • local party leaders • journalists of national renown • … • no more than 15 to 20 thousand people

23. “Iron triangle” • Top civil servants • in National Assembly • training and recruitment grounds for top positions in both politics and industry • Effort at opening up the narrow elite recruitment process since 1980s • new admissions procedures • top bureaucrats impact national government