So in the end Jean-Marie Le Pen scored under 20% in the second 2nd round! Jospin has retired from political life and President Chirac has another five years at the helm. The new conservative government is headed by a relative unknown from the mid-west Poitou region named Jean-Pierre Raffarin. A disappointment for young hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, one Chirac's leading supporter and spokesman. Their will be new elections to the National Assembly in June, though, and the new right-wing coalition between the Chiracist RPR and sections of the more liberal UDF may not be in government very long if the Socialist party have their way.

Legislative Election results - first round.


A new record low turnout, in spite of all that was said about abstentions letting in Le Pen in the presidentials!


A comfortable majority for Chirac's Union for a Majority for the President party (UMP) - cobbled together from the various right-wing groupings.

Second round - as expected, large majority of the UMP.
This gives Jacques Chirac almost total power in France. One current affairs magazine has a full frontal of Chirac 'enthroned' in a handsome antique 'fauteil' - looking very regal, quoi!. It is quite true that as long as he keeps all those deputies who fell into line with his new right-wing group he is holding all the strings. There is considerable pressure on the new president and his new government to *use* this power and have something to show for it, and not just in five years time, but in five *months*! They want results!

In keeping with tradition, Prime Minister Raffarin officially handed the President of the Republic his resignation, a purely symbolic act before being re-instated. Indeed, most of the interim government formed in May remain in their posts. The notable exception is a certain X who has resigned because of accusations of involvement in the illegal funding of his political party.