French presidential election, 1981

As one quickly comes to realize in the study of politics, the "rules of the game," the institutional design can determine the fate of the players in the game. This could be no truer than in the French political system. Surrounding the French presidential election of 1981 was an absolutely extraordinary set of circumstances that moved the France into a new phase of politics. From these circumstantial anomalies emerged the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic; indeed, the election of Socialist François Mitterrand marked the first administration change in the Fifth Republic.

Outcome

In the end, the Left received 52% of the vote, and the Right trailed 4% behind. It seems the appropriate question to ask of the 1981 French elections is not "How did François Mitterrand win?" It is more prudent to ask "What happened to cause Giscard d'Estaing?s loss?" It seems that the incumbent President had the deck stacked against him, and faced insurmountable circumstances that would bring any political player to his or her knees. The strife within his own political career and within the Right?s general parties attacked the candidate on a personal level. As the French economy continued the downward turn, other unforeseen changes in the faceless and impersonal political system worked against him from the edges. These sets of disadvantages, coupled with a stronger, more strategically developed Left led to the election of the first Socialist President of the Fifth Republic, Francois Mitterrand.

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