Union for French Democracy
Encyclopedia
The Union for French Democracy (Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF) was a French
centrist
political party
. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
in order to counterbalance the Gaullist
preponderance over the right
. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's 1976 book, French Democracy. The UDF effectively ceased to exist by the end of 2007, and its membership and assets were transferred to its successor party, the Democratic Movement
(MoDem).
The founding parties of the UDF were the Christian-democratic Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the conservative liberal Republican Party
(PR), the social liberal Radical Party (Rad.), the centre-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the centrist Perspectives and Realities Clubs
(CPR). The UDF was most frequently a junior partner in coalitions with the Gaullist Rally for the Republic
(RPR) and its successor party, the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP). Prior to its dissolution, the UDF became a single entity, due to the defection of Republicans, Radicals and most Christian Democrats to the UMP and the merger of the other centrist components. The party's last leader was François Bayrou
, who transferred his leadership to the MoDem party.
was elected President of France. Two years later, his Gaullist
Prime Minister Jacques Chirac
resigned and created the Rally for the Republic
(RPR) in order to restore the Gaullist domination over the republican institutions. Formally, this party stood in the right-wing parliamentary majority, but it criticized with virulence the policies of the executive duo composed of President Giscard d'Estaing and Prime Minister Raymond Barre
.
During the 1978 legislative electoral campaign
, in his Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
speech, President Giscard d'Estaing noted that the political leanings of the French people were divided among four groups: the Communists (PCF
), the Socialists (PS
), the Neo-Gaullists (RPR
) and his own followers. He therefore sought to formally organise a political grouping which would represent the position of his followers. Consequently, the UDF confederation was born.
Contrary to the Neo-Gaullists, the Giscardian UDF advocated less state intervention in the economy, the decentralization
in aid of the local authorities, and a strong commitment towards the building of a federal Europe. According to the historian René Rémond
, the UDF descended from the Orleanist
tradition of the right, whereas the RPR was a reincarnation of the Bonapartist
tradition, which promotes national independence by virtue of a strong state.
After the right (the RPR and UDF) won the 1978 legislative election
and the subsequent focus of both groups towards the 1981 presidential campaign
, the relations between the two parties of the parliamentary majority deteriorated. Indeed, RPR leader Jacques Chirac criticized the market-oriented and pro-European policy of the executive duo. During the 1979 European electoral campaign
, Chirac published the Call of Cochin
where the UDF was accused of being "the foreign party". As the UDF list, led by Simone Veil
, obtained a very good result compared with RPR's score, the quarrels between the two parties and the rivalry between Giscard d'Estaing and Chirac contributed, in 1981, to the defeat of the incumbent UDF president who ran for a second term.
's election, the two right-wing parliamentary parties reconciled. Little by little, the RPR abandoned Gaullist doctrine and joined the market-oriented and pro-European positions of the UDF. Although, they presented a common list at the 1984 European Parliament election, their leaders Chirac and Barre competed for the leadership of the right political wing. Focused on winning the 1986 legislative election
, Chirac, unlike Barre, accepted the principle of "cohabitation
" with President Mitterrand. Furthermore, some UDF politicians (notably from the Republican Party) covertly supported Chirac. Consequently, he became Prime Minister
, from 1986 to 1988, and the UDF played a supporting role in his cabinet and in the parliamentary majority.
Barre was a candidate in the 1988 presidential election
, yet, despite his popularity, he was not supported by all UDF personalities. Giscard d'Estaing himself refused to choose clearly and publicly between his two former Prime Ministers. Eliminated in the first round, Barre called on his supporters to vote for Chirac in the second round, but despite this, Chirac was defeated by Mitterrand. After the re-election of Mitterrand, some UDF members participated as ministers in the left-wing
cabinets of prime minister Michel Rocard
. Others created a new parliamentary group, the Centrist Union, which occasionally voted with the Socialist Party
or with the RPR.
For Giscard d'Estaing, Barre's failure to strengthen the UDF, allowed him retake the leadership of the UDF. However, his authority, and that of the other right-wing leaders (Chirac, Barre etc.) was contested by a new generation of politicians called the "renovation men", who accused the old guard leadership of bearing responsibility for the electoral defeats of the right.
and obtained a massive majority in the National Assembly. The new Neo-Gaullist Prime Minister Edouard Balladur
nominated a large number of UDF members to his cabinet: François Léotard
(PR) became minister of Defense, Gérard Longuet
(PR) of Industry, Pierre Méhaignerie
(CDS) of Justice, François Bayrou
(CDS) of Education, Simone Veil
(PR) of Health and Social Affairs, Alain Madelin
(PR) of Commerce, Bernard Bosson
(CDS) of Transport, Jean Puech
(CDS) of Agriculture, André Rossinot
(Rad) of Civil Service and Hervé de Charette
(CPR) of Housing.
During the 1995 presidential campaign
the different components of the UDF were unable to agree on a common candidacy and consequently they divided between the two RPR candidates. Most UDF members supported Edouard Balladur
, whereas a minority endorsed Jacques Chirac
, as Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
had proposed. Supporters of Giscard formed the Popular Party for French Democracy
(PPDF), that succeedeed to the Perspectives and Realities Clubs
, while the CDS merged with the PSD into Democratic Force
(FD). In 1996 a former balladurien, François Léotard
, was elected President of the UDF by defeating Alain Madelin
.
After Chirac's election as President of France, some UDF ministers were dismissed as a result of their support for Balladur. Nevertheless, in Alain Juppé
's cabinet, the UDF was given several ministries including Foreign Affairs with Hervé de Charette
(PPDF), Defense with Charles Millon
(PR), Economy and Finances with Alain Madelin (PR), Industry with Yves Galland
(Rad), Education with François Bayrou (CDS/FD), Commerce with Jean-Pierre Raffarin
(PR), Labour with Jacques Barrot
(CDS/FD), Agriculture with Philippe Vasseur
(CDS/FD), Culture with Philippe Douste-Blazy
(CDS/FD), Economic Development with Jean Arthuis
(PR) and Reform and Decentralization with Claude Goasguen
(PR).
After the right-wing defeat in the 1997 legislative election
, the UDF faced a major crisis. While the centrist components had merged into FD led by François Bayrou
, the liberal-conservatives tried to overcome the chiraquiens/balladuriens fracture. The PR was joined by some politicians from the PPDF, such as Jean Pierre Raffarin (a former Republican) and was renamed Liberal Democracy
(DL). DL soon began to reassert its autonomy within the alliance and finally broke ranks with the UDF in 1998. The event which triggered the split was the election of UDF politicians at the head of four regional councils, who won with support from the National Front. DL refused to condemn the arrangement, whilst the centrists did.
The former leader of Democratic Force, François Bayrou
became the natural leader of the New UDF. He conceived of it as the embryo of a future centrist party which would include politicians from both the left and right. Bayrou ran for president in the 2002 presidential election
, but some UDF leaders supported Chirac. Chirac won reelection comfortably, with Bayrou being eliminated after the first round, having gained only 6.8% of the vote. Bayrou subsequently refused Chirac's invitation to his group, to join the big tent right-wing party, the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) for the oncoming June parliamentary elections
. Other UDF members, led by Philippe Douste-Blazy
, Jacques Barrot
and Pierre Méhaignerie
, joined the UMP, leaving Bayrou somewhat isolated.
Post-election, the UDF joined the victorious right wing grouping as a partner in the cabinet of prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
. Despite this, the UDF sometimes criticized the policies of the French government, although it did not wish to quit the majority coalition and enter the opposition, which was made up mostly of left-wing parties. Subsequently, the UDF quit the cabinet (except for Gilles de Robien
), after a cabinet reshuffle on the 31 March 2004, but still decided to remain in the parliamentary majority coalition.
In 2004, the party, along with Italy's Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, was one of the founding members of the European Democratic Party
, intended to be home to all those Christian-democrats and centrists who were disillusioned with the new course of the European People's Party
, which had welcomed the Rally for the Republic
and later the UMP. With the exit of the most conservative, Christian-democratic and conservative-liberal components of the UDF in 1998 and 2002, the UDF was now more of a centrist party with socially liberal tendencies.
There developed a split among UDF elected officials, between those such as Gilles de Robien and Pierre-Christophe Baguet
, who favored closer ties with the UMP, and those such as François Bayrou who advocate independent centrist policies, while others such as Jean Dionis du Séjour
tried steering for a middle course. The most likely reason for many of the UDF's elected officials favouring close ties with the UMP was that most of the UDF's elected positions are obtained through cooperative alliances with UMP. However, the party's base overwhelmingly favored independence. At the congress of Lyon, on January 28-29th 2006, 91% of the members voted to retain the independence of the UDF from the UMP and transform it into an independent centrist party. This outcome meant that the orientation of the evolving UDF would be that of a social liberal party aiming for a balance between social-democratic and conservative policies.
deputies calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
's government, following the Clearstream affair
. This motion had no chance of being passed, given that UMP had an absolute majority in the Assembly. Following this event, France's television authority then classified Bayrou and the other UDF deputies who had voted for the motion as being in the opposition for time allocation purposes; however, after Bayrou protested, he was classified as neither majority nor opposition.
On 25 April 2007, François Bayrou announced that he would be submitting a plan to a vote of UDF members to create a new Democratic Movement
, which was finally launched on 10 May. However, most of the UDF's deputies protested and formed the New Centre
(to support Nicolas Sarkozy
). In the subsequent legislative elections held in June, the MoDem won only 3 seats (but 7.6% of the vote) whilst its New Centre rivals won 22 seats (but only 2.4%).
On 30 November 2007, the UDF effectively ceased to exist, and was fully integrated within the Democratic Movement
, headed by François Bayrou
.
, up to the point of turning the European Union
into United States of Europe
. In that respect, UDF was the likely target of Chirac's Call of Cochin
(1978), in which he denounced the pro-European policies of "the party of the foreigners".
Until 2002, the UDF spanned a somewhat wide ideological spectrum on the center-right. A tongue-in-cheek
characterization of UDF's membership is that it was the union of everybody on the right that was neither far-right nor a Chirac supporter. However, the UDF suffered for its lack of cohesion, in contrast to the RPR. The economic policies proposed by UDF's leaders ranged from left-leaning, in favor of social justice
, to strongly laissez-faire
economics. Such divergences led the laissez-faire advocates of
Liberal Democracy
, such as Alain Madelin
, to split out of UDF on 16 May 1998. This departure followed the elections of UDF politicians for the presidents of 4 regional councils with the votes of FN elects. Indeed, the Liberals refused to condemn these alliances.
Similarly, the social policies ranged from the conservatism
of the likes of Christine Boutin
, famously opposed to civil union
s for homosexuals, to more socially liberal policies. Boutin would be excluded from the UDF because of her strong social conservatism
; in March 2001 she formed the Forum of Social Republicans
, now affiliated to the UMP.
During the 2007 presidential electoral campaign
, François Bayrou
presented himself as a centrist and a social liberal, (he even opened the door to gay adoptions) proclaiming that if elected, he would "govern beyond the left-right divide". He won 18.6% of the vote, but this was not enough for him to reach the second round.
On 10 May 2007, when Bayrou launched his new Democratic Movement
, only 6 deputies out of 29 (Pierre-Cristophe Baguet is not counted as he was expelled from the party on 10 October 2006) followed him (Gilles Artigues, Anne-Marie Comparini, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, Jean Lassalle, Gérard Vignoble and he himself). The others, comprising the members of Society in Movement and also Hervé Morin, Jean-Louis Bourlanges and other Bayrou's supporters until then, joined the presidential majority coalition in support of the new President Nicolas Sarkozy
and formed a new "centrist pole" within it, the New Centre
led by Hervé Morin.
Politics of France
France is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
in order to counterbalance the Gaullist
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
preponderance over the right
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's 1976 book, French Democracy. The UDF effectively ceased to exist by the end of 2007, and its membership and assets were transferred to its successor party, the Democratic Movement
Democratic Movement (France)
The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
(MoDem).
The founding parties of the UDF were the Christian-democratic Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the conservative liberal Republican Party
Republican Party (France)
The Republican Party was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966. It was created by former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing...
(PR), the social liberal Radical Party (Rad.), the centre-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the centrist Perspectives and Realities Clubs
Perspectives and Realities Clubs
The National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs was a centrist political movement in France....
(CPR). The UDF was most frequently a junior partner in coalitions with the Gaullist Rally for the Republic
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
(RPR) and its successor party, the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP). Prior to its dissolution, the UDF became a single entity, due to the defection of Republicans, Radicals and most Christian Democrats to the UMP and the merger of the other centrist components. The party's last leader was François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
, who transferred his leadership to the MoDem party.
Foundation and early years
In 1974, Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
was elected President of France. Two years later, his Gaullist
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
Prime Minister Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
resigned and created the Rally for the Republic
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
(RPR) in order to restore the Gaullist domination over the republican institutions. Formally, this party stood in the right-wing parliamentary majority, but it criticized with virulence the policies of the executive duo composed of President Giscard d'Estaing and Prime Minister Raymond Barre
Raymond Barre
Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three Presidents and later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981...
.
During the 1978 legislative electoral campaign
French legislative election, 1978
The French legislative elections took place on 12 March and 19 March 1978 to elect the 6th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.On 2 April 1974 President Georges Pompidou died. The non-Gaullist center-right leader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected to succeed him...
, in his Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
Verdun-sur-le-Doubs is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is located in southern Burgundy at the confluence of the Doubs and the Saône in the Bresse plain, near Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saône....
speech, President Giscard d'Estaing noted that the political leanings of the French people were divided among four groups: the Communists (PCF
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
), the Socialists (PS
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
), the Neo-Gaullists (RPR
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
) and his own followers. He therefore sought to formally organise a political grouping which would represent the position of his followers. Consequently, the UDF confederation was born.
Contrary to the Neo-Gaullists, the Giscardian UDF advocated less state intervention in the economy, the decentralization
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
in aid of the local authorities, and a strong commitment towards the building of a federal Europe. According to the historian René Rémond
René Rémond
-Biography:Born in Lons-le-Saunier, Rémond was the Secretary General of Jeunesses étudiantes Catholiques and a member of the International YCS Center of Documentation and Information in Paris, presently the International Secretariat of International Young Catholic Students The author of books on...
, the UDF descended from the Orleanist
Orléanist
The Orléanists were a French right-wing/center-right party which arose out of the French Revolution. It governed France 1830-1848 in the "July Monarchy" of king Louis Philippe. It is generally seen as a transitional period dominated by the bourgeoisie and the conservative Orleanist doctrine in...
tradition of the right, whereas the RPR was a reincarnation of the Bonapartist
Bonapartist
In French political history, Bonapartism has two meanings. In a strict sense, this term refers to people who aimed to restore the French Empire under the House of Bonaparte, the Corsican family of Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis...
tradition, which promotes national independence by virtue of a strong state.
After the right (the RPR and UDF) won the 1978 legislative election
French legislative election, 1978
The French legislative elections took place on 12 March and 19 March 1978 to elect the 6th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.On 2 April 1974 President Georges Pompidou died. The non-Gaullist center-right leader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected to succeed him...
and the subsequent focus of both groups towards the 1981 presidential campaign
French presidential election, 1981
The French presidential election of 1981 took place on 10 May 1981, giving the presidency of France to François Mitterrand, the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic....
, the relations between the two parties of the parliamentary majority deteriorated. Indeed, RPR leader Jacques Chirac criticized the market-oriented and pro-European policy of the executive duo. During the 1979 European electoral campaign
European Parliament election, 1979
The 1979 European elections were parliamentary elections held across all 9 European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the European Parliament, and also the first international election in history.Seats in the...
, Chirac published the Call of Cochin
Call of Cochin
The Call of Cochin is a famous discourse published on December 6, 1978 by Jacques Chirac, former Prime Minister of France, president of the Rally for the Republic party, and mayor of Paris....
where the UDF was accused of being "the foreign party". As the UDF list, led by Simone Veil
Simone Veil
Simone Veil, DBE is a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France....
, obtained a very good result compared with RPR's score, the quarrels between the two parties and the rivalry between Giscard d'Estaing and Chirac contributed, in 1981, to the defeat of the incumbent UDF president who ran for a second term.
The Eighties
After François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
's election, the two right-wing parliamentary parties reconciled. Little by little, the RPR abandoned Gaullist doctrine and joined the market-oriented and pro-European positions of the UDF. Although, they presented a common list at the 1984 European Parliament election, their leaders Chirac and Barre competed for the leadership of the right political wing. Focused on winning the 1986 legislative election
French legislative election, 1986
The French legislative elections took place on 16 March 1986 to elect the 8th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Contrary to other legislative elections of the Fifth Republic, the electoral system used was that of Party-list proportional representation.Since the 1981 election of François...
, Chirac, unlike Barre, accepted the principle of "cohabitation
Cohabitation (government)
Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the...
" with President Mitterrand. Furthermore, some UDF politicians (notably from the Republican Party) covertly supported Chirac. Consequently, he became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
, from 1986 to 1988, and the UDF played a supporting role in his cabinet and in the parliamentary majority.
Barre was a candidate in the 1988 presidential election
French presidential election, 1988
Presidential elections were held in France on 24 April and 8 May 1988.In 1981, the Socialist Party leader, François Mitterrand, was elected President of France and the Left won the legislative election. However, in 1986, the Right regained a parliamentary majority. President Mitterrand was forced...
, yet, despite his popularity, he was not supported by all UDF personalities. Giscard d'Estaing himself refused to choose clearly and publicly between his two former Prime Ministers. Eliminated in the first round, Barre called on his supporters to vote for Chirac in the second round, but despite this, Chirac was defeated by Mitterrand. After the re-election of Mitterrand, some UDF members participated as ministers in the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
cabinets of prime minister Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard is a French politician, member of the Socialist Party . He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991, during which he created the Revenu minimum d'insertion , a social minimum welfare program for indigents, and led the Matignon Accords regarding the status...
. Others created a new parliamentary group, the Centrist Union, which occasionally voted with the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
or with the RPR.
For Giscard d'Estaing, Barre's failure to strengthen the UDF, allowed him retake the leadership of the UDF. However, his authority, and that of the other right-wing leaders (Chirac, Barre etc.) was contested by a new generation of politicians called the "renovation men", who accused the old guard leadership of bearing responsibility for the electoral defeats of the right.
The Nineties
In 1991, the dismissal of Rocard caused the departure of the centrist ministers from the government. All of the UDF and the RPR were allied in opposition to the Socialist power which was weakened by the economic crisis, scandals, and internal quarrels. The RPR/UDF coalition named "Union for France" comfortably won the 1993 legislative electionFrench legislative election, 1993
French legislative elections took place on 21 and 28 March 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.Since 1988, President François Mitterrand and his Socialist cabinets had relied on a relative parliamentary majority. Without the support of the Communists, Prime minister...
and obtained a massive majority in the National Assembly. The new Neo-Gaullist Prime Minister Edouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 29 March 1993 to 10 May 1995.-Biography:Balladur was born in İzmir, Turkey, to an Armenian Catholic family with five children and long-standing ties to France...
nominated a large number of UDF members to his cabinet: François Léotard
François Léotard
François Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
(PR) became minister of Defense, Gérard Longuet
Gérard Longuet
Gérard Longuet is a French conservative politician. On 27 February 2011, he became the new French Defense Minister.-Biography:...
(PR) of Industry, Pierre Méhaignerie
Pierre Méhaignerie
Pierre Méhaignerie is a French politician. He is presently deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and mayor of Vitré...
(CDS) of Justice, François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
(CDS) of Education, Simone Veil
Simone Veil
Simone Veil, DBE is a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France....
(PR) of Health and Social Affairs, Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
(PR) of Commerce, Bernard Bosson
Bernard Bosson
Bernard Bosson is a French politician and lawyer. He served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur from 1993 to 1995...
(CDS) of Transport, Jean Puech
Jean Puech
Jean Puech is a French politician. He was first a member of the Republican Party before joining the Union for a Popular Movement....
(CDS) of Agriculture, André Rossinot
André Rossinot
André Rossinot is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party....
(Rad) of Civil Service and Hervé de Charette
Hervé de Charette
Hervé de Charette is a French centre-right politician.He is a descendant of the royalist military leader François de Charette. Member of the Union for French Democracy , he was elected deputy for the first time in 1986 as representative of the Maine-et-Loire département...
(CPR) of Housing.
During the 1995 presidential campaign
French presidential election, 1995
Presidential elections took place in France on 23 April and 7 May 1995, to elect the fifth president of the Fifth Republic.The incumbent Socialist president, François Mitterrand, did not stand for a third term. He was 78, had cancer, and his party had lost the previous legislative election in a...
the different components of the UDF were unable to agree on a common candidacy and consequently they divided between the two RPR candidates. Most UDF members supported Edouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 29 March 1993 to 10 May 1995.-Biography:Balladur was born in İzmir, Turkey, to an Armenian Catholic family with five children and long-standing ties to France...
, whereas a minority endorsed Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, as Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
had proposed. Supporters of Giscard formed the Popular Party for French Democracy
Popular Party for French Democracy
The Popular Party for French Democracy was a centrist-liberal party in France.It was launched in July 1995, as a successor to the Perspectives and Realities Clubs and as a component of the Union for French Democracy centre-right confederation...
(PPDF), that succeedeed to the Perspectives and Realities Clubs
Perspectives and Realities Clubs
The National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs was a centrist political movement in France....
, while the CDS merged with the PSD into Democratic Force
Democratic Force (France)
Democratic Force was a French centrist political party founded in 1995 by the merger between the centrist components of the Union for French Democracy : the Christian-democratic Centre of Social Democrats and the Social Democratic Party.It disappeared in 1998, when the UDF confederation became a...
(FD). In 1996 a former balladurien, François Léotard
François Léotard
François Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
, was elected President of the UDF by defeating Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
.
After Chirac's election as President of France, some UDF ministers were dismissed as a result of their support for Balladur. Nevertheless, in Alain Juppé
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
's cabinet, the UDF was given several ministries including Foreign Affairs with Hervé de Charette
Hervé de Charette
Hervé de Charette is a French centre-right politician.He is a descendant of the royalist military leader François de Charette. Member of the Union for French Democracy , he was elected deputy for the first time in 1986 as representative of the Maine-et-Loire département...
(PPDF), Defense with Charles Millon
Charles Millon
Charles Marie Philippe Millon, born on 13 November 1945 in Belley, Ain, is a French politician. A member of the UDF, he was member of the French parliament for Ain and President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council. He was Minister of Defence from 1995 to 1997 in Alain Juppé's government, and led...
(PR), Economy and Finances with Alain Madelin (PR), Industry with Yves Galland
Yves Galland
Yves Galland, born on 8 March 1941 in Paris, is a French politician and entrepreneur.- Biography :After his studies in law, Yves Galland started his career in the world of business before also starting his political career...
(Rad), Education with François Bayrou (CDS/FD), Commerce with Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for Vienne.Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin...
(PR), Labour with Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot is a French politician, who has served as European Commissioner for Justice , after four years as Commissioner for Transport and Commissioner for Regional Policy for eight months . He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission...
(CDS/FD), Agriculture with Philippe Vasseur
Philippe Vasseur
Philippe Vasseur is a French politician.Vasseur began his career as a journalist on newspapers and TV. From 1986 to 1999, he was a French Member of Parliament, and, from 1995 to 1997, the French Minister of Agriculture....
(CDS/FD), Culture with Philippe Douste-Blazy
Philippe Douste-Blazy
Philippe Douste-Blazy is a French centre-right politician. He served as Minister for Health , Minister of Culture and Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin .Douste-Blazy is also a cardiologist and Christian Democrat politician from Lourdes...
(CDS/FD), Economic Development with Jean Arthuis
Jean Arthuis
Jean Arthuis is a French politician and member of the Senate of France. He has held various ministerial positions, especially regarding finances, and is now head of the Finance Commission of the French Senate.He is the President of the Centrist Alliance political party and is a member of the...
(PR) and Reform and Decentralization with Claude Goasguen
Claude Goasguen
Claude Goasguen is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the city of Paris, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-Biography:...
(PR).
After the right-wing defeat in the 1997 legislative election
French legislative election, 1997
French legislative election took place on 25 May and 1 June 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. It was the consequence of President Jacques Chirac's decision to call the legislative election one year before the deadline....
, the UDF faced a major crisis. While the centrist components had merged into FD led by François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
, the liberal-conservatives tried to overcome the chiraquiens/balladuriens fracture. The PR was joined by some politicians from the PPDF, such as Jean Pierre Raffarin (a former Republican) and was renamed Liberal Democracy
Liberal Democracy (France)
Liberal Democracy was a French political party that advocated conservative liberalism and liberal conservatism, headed by Alain Madelin. The party replaced in 1997 the Republican Party, which was the classical liberal component of the Union for French Democracy .It became independent in 1998,...
(DL). DL soon began to reassert its autonomy within the alliance and finally broke ranks with the UDF in 1998. The event which triggered the split was the election of UDF politicians at the head of four regional councils, who won with support from the National Front. DL refused to condemn the arrangement, whilst the centrists did.
New UDF
This led to a re-organization of UDF into the New UDF (Nouvelle UDF). The new alliance was launched as a single party with the merger of FD and the Republican Independent and Liberal Pole (PRIL, formed in 1998 by those DL members who refused to leave UDF). The Radicals and the PPDF remained as autonomous entities within the new party.The former leader of Democratic Force, François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
became the natural leader of the New UDF. He conceived of it as the embryo of a future centrist party which would include politicians from both the left and right. Bayrou ran for president in the 2002 presidential election
French presidential election, 2002
The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in...
, but some UDF leaders supported Chirac. Chirac won reelection comfortably, with Bayrou being eliminated after the first round, having gained only 6.8% of the vote. Bayrou subsequently refused Chirac's invitation to his group, to join the big tent right-wing party, the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP) for the oncoming June parliamentary elections
French legislative election, 2002
-12th Assembly by Parliamentary Group:...
. Other UDF members, led by Philippe Douste-Blazy
Philippe Douste-Blazy
Philippe Douste-Blazy is a French centre-right politician. He served as Minister for Health , Minister of Culture and Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin .Douste-Blazy is also a cardiologist and Christian Democrat politician from Lourdes...
, Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot is a French politician, who has served as European Commissioner for Justice , after four years as Commissioner for Transport and Commissioner for Regional Policy for eight months . He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission...
and Pierre Méhaignerie
Pierre Méhaignerie
Pierre Méhaignerie is a French politician. He is presently deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and mayor of Vitré...
, joined the UMP, leaving Bayrou somewhat isolated.
Post-election, the UDF joined the victorious right wing grouping as a partner in the cabinet of prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for Vienne.Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin...
. Despite this, the UDF sometimes criticized the policies of the French government, although it did not wish to quit the majority coalition and enter the opposition, which was made up mostly of left-wing parties. Subsequently, the UDF quit the cabinet (except for Gilles de Robien
Gilles de Robien
Count Gilles de Robien is a French politician. He is the son of count Jean de Robien and of Éliane Le Mesre de Pas. The Robien are a noble family originating from Brittany....
), after a cabinet reshuffle on the 31 March 2004, but still decided to remain in the parliamentary majority coalition.
In 2004, the party, along with Italy's Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, was one of the founding members of the European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
, intended to be home to all those Christian-democrats and centrists who were disillusioned with the new course of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
, which had welcomed the Rally for the Republic
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
and later the UMP. With the exit of the most conservative, Christian-democratic and conservative-liberal components of the UDF in 1998 and 2002, the UDF was now more of a centrist party with socially liberal tendencies.
There developed a split among UDF elected officials, between those such as Gilles de Robien and Pierre-Christophe Baguet
Pierre-Christophe Baguet
Pierre-Christophe Baguet is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-External links:*...
, who favored closer ties with the UMP, and those such as François Bayrou who advocate independent centrist policies, while others such as Jean Dionis du Séjour
Jean Dionis du Séjour
Jean Dionis du Séjour , is a French politician from the former centrist UDF party. He is now member of the New Centre ....
tried steering for a middle course. The most likely reason for many of the UDF's elected officials favouring close ties with the UMP was that most of the UDF's elected positions are obtained through cooperative alliances with UMP. However, the party's base overwhelmingly favored independence. At the congress of Lyon, on January 28-29th 2006, 91% of the members voted to retain the independence of the UDF from the UMP and transform it into an independent centrist party. This outcome meant that the orientation of the evolving UDF would be that of a social liberal party aiming for a balance between social-democratic and conservative policies.
Democratic Movement
On 16 May 2006, François Bayrou and 10 other UDF deputies voted for the motion of censure brought by the SocialistSocialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
deputies calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007....
's government, following the Clearstream affair
Clearstream affair
The "Clearstream affair" was a political scandal in France in the run-up to the 2007 presidential election.The name refers to the Luxembourg bank Clearstream Banking S.A., now wholly owned by Deutsche Börse, which was alleged to have aided many prominent French politicians and companies evade taxes...
. This motion had no chance of being passed, given that UMP had an absolute majority in the Assembly. Following this event, France's television authority then classified Bayrou and the other UDF deputies who had voted for the motion as being in the opposition for time allocation purposes; however, after Bayrou protested, he was classified as neither majority nor opposition.
On 25 April 2007, François Bayrou announced that he would be submitting a plan to a vote of UDF members to create a new Democratic Movement
Democratic Movement (France)
The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
, which was finally launched on 10 May. However, most of the UDF's deputies protested and formed the New Centre
New Centre
New Centre , also known as the European Social Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in France, formed by the members of the Union for French Democracy – including a majority of former parliamentarians – who did not agree with François Bayrou's...
(to support Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
). In the subsequent legislative elections held in June, the MoDem won only 3 seats (but 7.6% of the vote) whilst its New Centre rivals won 22 seats (but only 2.4%).
On 30 November 2007, the UDF effectively ceased to exist, and was fully integrated within the Democratic Movement
Democratic Movement (France)
The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
, headed by François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
.
Ideology and political position
UDF's most marked political trait was that it was in favor of European federalismFederalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
, up to the point of turning the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
into United States of Europe
United States of Europe
Since the 1950s, European integration has seen the development of a supranational system of governance, as its institutions move further from the concept of simple intergovernmentalism. However, with the Maastricht Treaty of 1993, new intergovernmental elements have been introduced alongside the...
. In that respect, UDF was the likely target of Chirac's Call of Cochin
Call of Cochin
The Call of Cochin is a famous discourse published on December 6, 1978 by Jacques Chirac, former Prime Minister of France, president of the Rally for the Republic party, and mayor of Paris....
(1978), in which he denounced the pro-European policies of "the party of the foreigners".
Until 2002, the UDF spanned a somewhat wide ideological spectrum on the center-right. A tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
characterization of UDF's membership is that it was the union of everybody on the right that was neither far-right nor a Chirac supporter. However, the UDF suffered for its lack of cohesion, in contrast to the RPR. The economic policies proposed by UDF's leaders ranged from left-leaning, in favor of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, to strongly laissez-faire
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
economics. Such divergences led the laissez-faire advocates of
Liberal Democracy
Liberal Democracy (France)
Liberal Democracy was a French political party that advocated conservative liberalism and liberal conservatism, headed by Alain Madelin. The party replaced in 1997 the Republican Party, which was the classical liberal component of the Union for French Democracy .It became independent in 1998,...
, such as Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
, to split out of UDF on 16 May 1998. This departure followed the elections of UDF politicians for the presidents of 4 regional councils with the votes of FN elects. Indeed, the Liberals refused to condemn these alliances.
Similarly, the social policies ranged from the conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
of the likes of Christine Boutin
Christine Boutin
Christine Boutin is a French politician and a major Christian democratic figure in France. She served as a member of the French National Assembly representing Yvelines, from 1986 until 2007, when she was appointed Minister of Housing and Urban Development by President Nicolas Sarkozy...
, famously opposed to civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s for homosexuals, to more socially liberal policies. Boutin would be excluded from the UDF because of her strong social conservatism
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
; in March 2001 she formed the Forum of Social Republicans
Forum of Social Republicans
The Christian Democratic Party is a conservative Christian-democratic party in France. The party was known as the Forum of Social Republicans between 2001 and June 2009 before being adopting its current name...
, now affiliated to the UMP.
During the 2007 presidential electoral campaign
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
, François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
presented himself as a centrist and a social liberal, (he even opened the door to gay adoptions) proclaiming that if elected, he would "govern beyond the left-right divide". He won 18.6% of the vote, but this was not enough for him to reach the second round.
Factions
- Bayrouistes, those who wanted the UDF to be independent from UMP: Marielle de SarnezMarielle de SarnezMarielle de Sarnez is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Île-de-France. She is a member of the MoDem, vice-chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education.She is also substitute for...
, Jean-Louis BourlangesJean-Louis BourlangesJean-Louis Bourlanges was a French Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 2007. He was elected on the Union for French Democracy ticket and sat with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group....
, Thierry CornilletThierry CornilletThierry Cornillet is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-east of France. He is a member of the Union for French Democracy, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Development...
, Gilles Artigues, Bernard BossonBernard BossonBernard Bosson is a French politician and lawyer. He served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur from 1993 to 1995...
, Anne-Marie CompariniAnne-Marie CompariniAnne-Marie Comparini is a French politician. She is a former Member of Parliament and a former President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council.-Biography:...
, Charles de CoursonCharles de CoursonCharles- Amédée de Courson is a member of the National Assembly of France and a former 'rapporteur', current vice-president and prominent member of its Finance Commission. He represents the Marne department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Jean-Christophe LagardeJean-Christophe LagardeJean-Christophe Lagarde is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Seine-Saint-Denis department, and is a member of the New Centre. Since 2001 he is the mayor of Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis.-References:...
, Jean LassalleJean LassalleJean Lassalle is a French Occitan politician and MoDem deputy in the National Assembly.- Political career :...
, Maurice LeroyMaurice LeroyMaurice Leroy is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Loir-et-Cher department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Hervé MorinHervé MorinHervé Morin is a French politician, leader of the New Center party and a former French Minister of Defence.-Member of National Assembly:...
, Rudy SallesRudy SallesRudy Salles is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Alpes-Maritimes department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Gérard Vignoble, Nicolas PerruchotNicolas PerruchotNicolas Perruchot is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Loir-et-Cher department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Jean-Luc PréelJean-Luc PréelJean-Luc Préel is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Vendée department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, François RochebloineFrançois RochebloineFrançois Rochebloine is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Loire department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, François SauvadetFrançois SauvadetFrançois Sauvadet is the president of the Côte-d'Or department and the parliamentary leader of the New Centre. He is a member of the New Centre. He represents the 4th constituency of the Cote-d'Or inthe French National Assembly.... - Society in Movement, those who wanted close ties with UMP: Gilles de RobienGilles de RobienCount Gilles de Robien is a French politician. He is the son of count Jean de Robien and of Éliane Le Mesre de Pas. The Robien are a noble family originating from Brittany....
, Olivier JardéOlivier JardéOlivier Jardé is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Somme department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Jean-Pierre AbelinJean-Pierre AbelinJean-Pierre Abelin is a French politician.-Biography:Jean-Pierre Abelin is the son of Pierre Abelin. He has been a member of the French National Assembly since 1978, most recently re-elected in 2007 for the 4th constituency of Vienne...
, Pierre-Christophe BaguetPierre-Christophe BaguetPierre-Christophe Baguet is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-External links:*...
, Jean Dionis du SéjourJean Dionis du SéjourJean Dionis du Séjour , is a French politician from the former centrist UDF party. He is now member of the New Centre ....
, Francis HillmeyerFrancis HillmeyerFrancis Hillmeyer is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Haut-Rhin department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Michel HunaultMichel HunaultMichel Hunault is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Loire-Atlantique department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Stéphane DemillyStéphane DemillyStéphane Demilly is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Somme department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Yvan LachaudYvan LachaudYvan Lachaud is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Gard department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, André SantiniAndré SantiniAndré Santini is a French politician, mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine.A former member of the UDF, he did not support François Bayrou, the candidate of his party for the first round of 2007 French presidential election, choosing instead to support Nicolas Sarkozy.After the election, he...
, Francis VercamerFrancis VercamerFrancis Vercamer is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Nord department, and is a member of the New Centre. He is the mayor of Hem, Nord.-References:...
, Claude LeteurtreClaude LeteurtreClaude Leteurtre is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Calvados department, and is a member of the New Centre.-References:...
, Rodolphe ThomasRodolphe ThomasRodolphe Thomas is a French politician and member of the MoDem.Born in Falaise, he moved to the new town of Hérouville-Saint-Clair in 1966, where his parents opened one of the first stores in the city....
On 10 May 2007, when Bayrou launched his new Democratic Movement
Democratic Movement (France)
The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
, only 6 deputies out of 29 (Pierre-Cristophe Baguet is not counted as he was expelled from the party on 10 October 2006) followed him (Gilles Artigues, Anne-Marie Comparini, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, Jean Lassalle, Gérard Vignoble and he himself). The others, comprising the members of Society in Movement and also Hervé Morin, Jean-Louis Bourlanges and other Bayrou's supporters until then, joined the presidential majority coalition in support of the new President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and formed a new "centrist pole" within it, the New Centre
New Centre
New Centre , also known as the European Social Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in France, formed by the members of the Union for French Democracy – including a majority of former parliamentarians – who did not agree with François Bayrou's...
led by Hervé Morin.
Presidents
- Jean LecanuetJean LecanuetJean Adrien François Lecanuet was a French centrist politician. He was born to a family of modest means, and gravitated towards literature during his studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé in France...
(1978–1988) - Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
(1988–1996) - François LéotardFrançois LéotardFrançois Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
(1996–1998) - François BayrouFrançois BayrouFrançois Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
(1998–2007)