1994 European Parliament election in France

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1994 European Parliament election in France
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  1989 12 June 1994 1999  

All 87 French seats in the European Parliament
PartyLeaderVote %Seats+/–
UDFRPR Dominique Baudis 25.5828+2
PS Michel Rocard 14.4915−5
MAE Philippe de Villiers 12.3413New
MRG Bernard Tapie 12.0313+11
FN Jean-Marie Le Pen 10.5211+1
PCF Francis Wurtz 6.8970
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

European Parliament elections were held in France on 12 June 1994. Six lists were able to win seats: an alliance of the centre-right Union for French Democracy (UDF) and the Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR), the Socialist Party (PS), the Left Radical Party (MRG), the French Communist Party, the National Front (FN) and Philippe de Villiers' eurosceptic right-wing dissident UDF list, which formed the Majority for Another Europe (MAE). 53.5% of the French population turned out on election day, an improvement on the last election in 1989. The Greens, who were weakened by an Ecology Generation list led by Brice Lalonde (winning 2.01%) and also suffering from internal divisions between the party's left (who wanted an electoral alliance with the Socialists and the left) and the right (rejecting all alliances), lost all 9 seats won in 1989. Arlette Laguiller's Trotskyst Workers' Struggle (2.27%), Jean-Pierre Chevènement's left-wing eurosceptic Citizens' Movement (2.54%), the L'Europe commence à Sarajevo List (1.57%) and the agrarian populist Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Traditions (3.96%) were among the notable lists which did not pass the 5% threshold.

Contents

With 14.49%, the Socialists, the party of President François Mitterrand, whose list was led by Michel Rocard suffered its worst result ever in a European election, losing votes mainly to the Radical list led by wealthy businessman and a protégé of Mitterrand, Bernard Tapie. Most analysts agreed that Mitterrand supported Tapie's list behind the scenes, since Rocard was a personal rival of Mitterrand and he wished to destroy Rocard's chances in the 1995 presidential election. In fact, Rocard resigned as First Secretary of the PS shortly thereafter and did not run in 1995 – Lionel Jospin was the Socialist candidate.

The other surprise was Philippe de Villiers success. Villiers, the President of the General Council of Vendée, was a eurosceptic member of the liberal component (PR) of the pro-European UDF. He won a surprisingly strong 12.34%, and his thirteen MEPs formed the nucleus of the Europe of Nations group. However, his success did not lead him to immediate political successes – he polled barely 4% in the 1995 presidential election.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Union for France 4,985,57425.5828New
Socialist Party 2,824,17314.4915–5
Majority for Another Europe 2,404,10512.3413New
Movement of Radicals of the Left 2,344,45712.0313+11
National Front 2,050,08610.5211+1
French Communist Party 1,342,2226.8970
Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Traditions 771,0613.9600
The Greens 574,8062.950–9
Citizens' Movement 494,9862.540New
Lutte Ouvrière 442,7232.2700
Ecology Generation 392,2912.010New
Europe Begins at Sarajevo 305,6331.570New
Jobs First!125,3400.640New
Natural Law Party 103,2610.530New
Workers' Party 84,5130.430New
Regionalist and Federalist List 76,4360.390New
Democrats for a United States of Europe71,8140.370New
Life Policy for Europe56,6580.290New
PPDGPPMPCRPSG 37,0410.190New
Europe for All2900.000New
Total19,487,470100.0087+6
Valid votes19,487,47094.67
Invalid/blank votes1,097,5105.33
Total votes20,584,980100.00
Registered voters/turnout39,019,79752.76
Source: France Politique

Members elected

UDF – RPR

PS

UDF dissidents

PRG

FN

PCF

References