Word: mitterrand
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...revolving door last week as Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's political opponents swiftly responded to his post-election appeal for "relaxation," "coexistence" and "reasonable cohabitation" among all parties. The first major leftist figure to enter the once impenetrable palace was Socialist Leader François Mitterrand, whose hopes of governing France had suffered a shattering defeat. Mitterrand was ceremoniously greeted by Elysée Secretary General Jean François-Poncet, who ushered the grim leftist into the sumptuous Golden Salon that once served as Charles de Gaulle's private office. There, Mitterrand shook hands...
...Socialists and the small Left Radicals. The Common Program of 1972 marked the first success of this strategy. But it was signed, not by the old and decrepit Socialist Party of the Fourth Republic, but by a vigorous new Socialist Party taken over by a cunning politician, Francois Mitterrand...
...victory. They could not bring themselves to support a coalition of bitter enemies engaged in fierce mutual recriminations and incapable of agreeing on a platform. Even though the French youth from 18 to 21 voted for the first time, the Left did a shade worse than in the Mitterrand-Giscard duel of 1974. And so, the C.P. is back in the political ghetto...
Many analysts, including some Socialists, thought it was Mitterrand himself who had frightened undecided voters by his last-minute surrender to Marchais on the issue of how many ministries the Communists would control in the event of a leftist victory. In exchange for Marchais's backing of Socialist candidates in the runoff elections March 19, Mitterrand had agreed to reward the Communists with as many as half of the Cabinet ministries. At that time, Gaston Defferre, the Socialist mayor of Marseille, issued a grave warning to Mitterrand: "Better to lose than give anything to the Communists." Taking a contrary...
...failure of Mitterrand's attempt to link his personal ambitions to the Communists now renders his political future highly precarious. Moreover, Mitterrand's capitulation to Marchais has made a mockery of his much-touted ability to keep the Communists under control. Last week there was talk that the Socialist leader, now 61, might be headed for retirement. Still, in his 32-year political career, he has frequently exhibited a talent, reminiscent of Richard Nixon's, for bouncing back from defeat. But even if Mitterrand should survive as his party's leader, he remains an improbable candidate...