Word: socialists
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...Solferino is a long winding street near the Eiffel tower that houses the Scoialist Party headquarters, sandwiched between a bakery and an apartment building. The night of the second round of the historic legislative elections on June 21, the crowd in front was thick and the mood festive. The Socialist Party, for the first time since its creation, had just won an absolute majority in parliament. For those present, this confirmation of France's "left turn" a month earlier--the election of Francois Mitterand as president--transformed a feeling of alienation into one of confident belonging. Yet above...
...minister of the interior known to friend and foe alike as "Ponia," was taking part in a televised debate before the legislative elections. As defeated president Valery Giscard d'Estaing's confident "political hitman," Ponia is not popular. When he affirmed, "Giscard is now France's only hope; the Socialist project is doomed to failure," his discourse was punctuated by loud laughter and catcalls from the audience; debate moderator Jean-Marie Cavada asked for silence. Ponia struggled on, but Cavada interrupted with more election results to announce. "I have the figures from former justice minister Alain Peyrfitte's district," Cavada...
...THAT THE SOCIALIST wave reached its peak in France on June 21, 1981 is a view not likely to be contested by the history books. By taking 289 of a possible 491 seats in Parliament, the Socialist Party can now boast outright possession of the legislative in addition to its recent acquisition of the executive branch of the government. A half-century battle by the oft-divided Left has finally, and convincingly, been won. For members of the new opposition, it is time for soul-searching and question-answering...
Most observers blame economic woes for Giscard's defeat and the subsequent Socialist domination of the Parliamentary elections. Trained as an economist--which he never let the French forget--Giscard had little excuse for 14 per cent inflation and chronic unemployment...
...retrospect, the Socialist tidal wave in the legislative elections makes sense. Voters, whether to the Right or Left, believe it is better to have a Socialist representative who, at the very least, will be heeded by a friendly government, than an outcast conservative. What is more, thanks to years of preaching from the Right, the French feel that the legislature should reflect the executive so that the latter can implement its policies as smoothly as possible...