Mitterrand's 1981 victory made him the first Socialist president of France's Fifth Republic and the first incumbent to be denied reelection.
Key Facts
- First round date
- 26 April 1981
- Second round date
- 10 May 1981
- Mitterrand's vote share
- 51.76%
- Giscard d'Estaing's vote share
- 48.24%
- Victory margin
- 1,065,956 votes
- First-round candidates
- 10
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing sought a second presidential term amid economic difficulties and political challenges. François Mitterrand, running on the Socialist Party's program '110 Propositions for France,' mounted a strong challenge. A tightened ballot-access rule introduced in 1976, raising the required elected-official signatures fivefold, excluded far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen from the race.
In the first round on 26 April 1981, ten candidates competed, with Mitterrand and Giscard d'Estaing advancing to a runoff. On 10 May 1981, Mitterrand won the second round with 51.76% of the vote against Giscard d'Estaing's 48.24%, defeating an incumbent president seeking reelection for the first time in French history.
François Mitterrand became the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic and served a full seven-year term from 1981 to 1988, winning reelection in 1988. His victory marked a historic shift in French politics, bringing the left to power for the first time under the Fifth Republic's constitutional framework.
Political Outcome
François Mitterrand (Socialist Party) defeated incumbent Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Union for French Democracy) with 51.76% of the vote in the second round.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Union for French Democracy)
François Mitterrand (Socialist Party)