The Victors

The losers

Socialists Sweep To Power

The victory is an enormous triumph for Lionel Jospin who did not even have a seat in Parliament before the election campaign.

President Chirac has had his authority seriously undermined and will now have to share power with his political enemies. The President wanted a centre right majority sharing his determination for France to qualify on time for monetary union, now he is faced with the prospect of "cohabitation".

Jospin: In

Juppe: Out

With a handful of seats to be declared, the Socialists and their allies had 268 seats, the ecologists seven and the Communists 38, a combined total of 313. The ruling Centre-right coalition lost around half its seats. The Gaullist RPR had 131, the centrist UDF 108, other right-wing candidates 14 and the extreme-right National Front one.

Turnout

In the first round, held a week ago, the rate of abstentions was over thirty per cent, and both the socialist opposition, and the ruling centre right have been urging apathetic voters to cast their votes. Both camps believed a high turnout would help their cause in what was expected to have been a very tight result. By late afternoon, turnout had reached 58%, some 3% higher than at the same time in last Sunday's first round poll.

President Chirac faces tough times ahead

Campaign Issues

The situation for control of the French Parliament appeared finely balanced. The socialists were confident, the centre right believed it could win if it persuaded the disillusioned supporters who didn't turn out in last week's poll, to vote.

The President, Jacques Chirac called the election a year earlier than necessary in the hope that he would get a mandate strong enough to take him through the difficult run up to the start of the single currency.