French regional elections, 2004

Regional elections were held in France on March 21 and March 28, 2004. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 22 régions, which, though they don't have legislative autonomy, manage sizeable budgets. The results were a triumph for the parties of the left, led by the French Socialist Party (PS) in alliance with minor parties including the French Communist Party (PCF), the Left Radical Party (PRG) and the Greens (Les Verts). The left has usually fared moderately well in regional elections, but this was their best result since the regional system was introduced.

The left won control of 20 of the 22 regions of metropolitan France, defeating the parties of the mainstream right, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and the Union for French Democracy (UDF), and the extreme right National Front (FN). The results are seen as a major setback for President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Results by region

The first round was held on March 21. Since no candidate gained a majority in any region, a second round was held on March 28, in which only candidates who polled more than 10% in the first round were eligible to run (except in Corsica, where the threshold is 5%). Votes for minor parties have been consolidated. Incumbents are shown with an asterisk.

Alsace

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jacques Bigot	PS-Verts	133,038	20.1	236,689	34.4
Patrick Binder	FN	122,860	18.6	151,186	22.0
Adrien Zeller *	UMP-UDF	225,193	34.1	299,351	43.6
Others	-	180,016	27.2	-	-
Total	-	661,107	-	687,226	-

Conservative Alsace is one of only two regions retained by the right.

Aquitaine

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
François Bayrou	UDF	215,796	16.1	-	-
Jacques Colombier	FN	153,859	11.4	164,047	11.7
Xavier Darcos	UMP	247,232	18.4	469,382	33.5
Alain Rousset *	PS-Verts	516,392	38.4	769,583	54.8
Others	-	210,635	15.7	-	-
Total	-	1,343,904	-	1,403,012	-

Aquitaine is a traditional stronghold of the left.

Auvergne

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Pierre-Joël Bonté	PS	167,451	28.2	332,958	52.6
Louis de Condé	FN	56,889	9.6	-	-
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing *	UDF-UMP	215,903	36.4	299,438	47.3
Others	-	153,155	25.8	-	-
Total	-	593,398	-	632,386	-

The former President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was seeking a fourth term as President of Auvergne.

Basse-Normandie

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Philippe Duron	PS-PCF	143,095	23.9	297,291	46.2
René Garrec *	UDF-UMP	172,050	28.7	257,297	40.0
Fernand Le Rachinel	FN	83,742	14.0	88,618	13.8
Others	-	199,659	33.3	-	-
Total	-	598,546	-	643,206	-

The left have never before won control of Lower Normandy

Bourgogne

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Pierre Jaboulet-Vercherre	FN	105,270	15.8	108,124	15.4
François Patriat	PS-PCF-Verts	240,451	36.0	369,322	52.5
Jean-Pierre Soisson *	UMP-UDF	145,426	21.8	226,128	32.1
Others	-	176,626	26.4	-	-
Total	-	667,773	-	703,574	-

Burgundy returns to its usual left-wing loyalty. It is suspected that incumbent Jean-Pierre Soisson was punished for his coalition with the Front National.

Bretagne

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Josselin de Rohan *	UMP-UDF	347,221	38.5	591,454	41.3
Jean-Yves Le Drian	PS	521,988	38.5	839,157	58.7
Brigitte Neveux	FN	114,883	8.5	-	-
Others	-	402,368	29.7	-	-
Total	-	1,356,460	-	1,430,611	-

Normally conservative Brittany is captured by the left.

Centre

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jacqueline Gourault	UDF	135,779	13.7	-	-
Michel Sapin	PS	378,235	38.1	517,987	49.1
Jean Verdon	FN	173,651	17.5	173,460	16.5
Serge Vinçon	UMP	205,262	20.7	362,382	34.4
Others	-	98,433	9.9	-	-
Total	-	991,360	-	1,053,829	-

The left retains control of this region. Sapin replaces the retiring incumbent Alain Rafesthain.

Champagne-Ardenne

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jean-Paul Bachy	PS	141,189	27.9	228,622	41.9
Charles de Courson	UDF	56,105	11.1	-	-
Jean-Claude Étienne *	UMP	134,602	26.7	217,322	39.8
Bruno Subtil	FN	99,576	19.7	99,766	18.3
Others	-	129,519	25.6	-	-
Total	-	504,886	-	545,710	-

The left captures usually conservative Champagne-Ardenne.

Corse

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Camille de Rocca-Serra	UMP	20,155	14.6	35,627	25.0
Dominique Bucchini	-	9,147	6.6	11,808	8.3
Paul Giacobbi	-	14,477	10.5	21,562	15.2
Olivier Martinelli	FN	6,181	4.5	-	-
Simon Renucci	-	8,018	5.8	11,025	7.7
José Rossi *	-	8,804	6.4	11,092	07.8
Émile Zuccarelli	PRG-PS	17,906	13.0	26,434	18.6
Others	-	53,501	38.7	-	-
Total	-	138,189	-	142,200	-

Conservative Corsica is the right's only success apart from Alsace.

Franche-Comté

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Raymond Forni	PS	146,555	31.3	240,177	46.7
Jean-François Humbert *	UMP	116,354	24.8	185,757	36.1
Sophie Montel	FN	87,498	18.7	88,134	17.1
Others	-	118,097	25.2	-	-
Total	-	468,504	-	514,068	-

The left retakes Franche-Comté.

Haute-Normandie

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Dominique Chaboche	FN	115,183	15.9	113,013	14.6
Alain Le Vern *	PS	281,314	38.9	408,163	52.7
Antoine Rufenacht	UMP	153,089	21.1	253,480	32.7
Others	-	174,265	24.1	-	-
Total	-	723,851	-	774,656	-

The left retains its traditional hold on Upper Normandy.

Île-de-France

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jean-François Copé	UMP	908,275	24.8	1,593,559	40.7
Jean-Paul Huchon *	PS-Verts-PRG	1,170,444	31.9	1,922,546	49.1
Marine Le Pen	FN	448,987	12.3	395,481	10.1
André Santini	UDF	590,543	16.1	-	-
Others	-	545,116	14.9	-	-
Total	-	3,663,365	-	3,991,586	-

The left retains control of Île-de-France, the region surrounding Paris and gets a comfortable majority. Huchon previously could not rely on a majority.

Languedoc-Roussillon

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jacques Blanc *	UMP	258,287	24.3	373,844	33.1
George Frèche	PS-Verts-PCF	373,214	36.3	577,798	51.2
Alain Jamet	FN	183,031	17.2	177,568	15.7
Others	-	251,458	23.6	-	-
Total	-	1,065,990	-	1,129,210	-

The left re-establishes its usual dominance of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Limousin

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Raymond Archer	UMP	79,531	23.3	132,044	38.0
Jean-Paul Denanot	PS-PRG-PCF	140,217	41.1	215,612	62.0
Patricia Gibeau	FN	31,736	9.3	-	-
Others	-	89,362	26.2	-	-
Total	-	340,846	-	347,656	-

The left retains control of Limousin, with Denanot succeeding the retiring incumbent Robert Savy.

Lorraine

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Thierry Gourlot	FN	152,660	17.6	162,971	17.3
Nathalie Griesbeck	UDF	75,609	8.7	-	-
Gérard Longuet *	UMP	192,157	22.1	322,446	34.2
Jean-Pierre Masseret	PS-PCF-Verts	253,626	29.2	457,350	48.5
Others	-	194,040	22.3	-	-
Total	-	868,092	-	942,767	-

The left recaptures Lorraine.

Midi-Pyrénées

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Louis Aliot	FN	141,599	11.8	149,409	12.1
Jacques Godfrain	UMP	228,449	19.0	376,872	30.4
Martin Malvy *	PS-PC-PRG	497,713	41.4	712,176	57.5
Michel Valdiguie	-	122,030	10.1	-	-
Others	-	212,695	17.7	-	-
Total	-	1,202,486	-	1,238,457	-

The left retain its traditional dominance of Midi-Pyrénées.

Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Alain Bocquet	PCF	173,200	10.7	-	-
Jean-Paul Delevoye	UMP	280,102	17.3	484,711	28.5
Carl Lang	FN	290,908	17.9	336,444	19.7
Daniel Percheron *	PS-PRG	484,798	29.9	881,948	51.8
Others	-	392,728	24.2	-	-
Total	-	1,621,736	-	1,703,103	-

Nord-Pas-de-Calais is also a stronghold of the left.

Pays de la Loire

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jean Arthuis	UDF	169,251	12.1	-	-
Jacques Auxiette	PS-Verts-PCF-PRG	518,466	37.2	762,497	52.3
François Fillon	UMP	450,552	32.3	693,913	47.6
Samuel Maréchal	FN	135,391	9.7	-	-
Others	-	120,041	8.6	-	-
Total	-	1,393,701	-	1,456,410	-

The right loses the normally conservative Pays de la Loire region. Fillon was the candidate of the right in succession to the retiring Jean-Luc Harousseau.

Picardie

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Claude Gewerc	PS-Verts-PRG	210,328	27.4	379,075	45.4
Maxime Gremetz	PCF	83,282	10.9	-	-
Michel Guiniot	FN	175,940	22.9	155,851	18.7
Gilles de Robien	UDF-UMP	247,425	32.3	300,140	35.9
Others	-	49,995	6.5	-	-
Total	-	766,970	-	835,066	-

The left captures the Picardie region following the retirement of incumbent Charles Baur.

Poitou-Charentes

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Jean-Romée Charbonneau	FN	79,484	10.5	70,896	8.7
Élisabeth Morin *	UMP-UDF	249,373	32.9	294,955	36.2
Ségolène Royal	PS	350,466	46.3	448,949	55.1
Others	-	77,866	10.3	-	-
Total	-	757,189	-	814,800	-

Poitou-Charente, a traditional stronghold of the right and home region of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, falls to the left.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Guy Macary	FN	415,181	22.9	409,786	21.0
Renaud Muselier	UMP-UDF	472,035	26.1	659,592	33.8
Michel Vauzelle *	PS-PCF-Verts-PRG	633,268	35.0	881,350	45.2
Others	-	288,443	15.9	-	-
Total	-	1,808,927	-	1,950,728	-

The left retains control of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, who intended to run in this region, was disqualified because he did not fulfill the legal conditions: he neither lived there, nor was registered as a taxpayer there.

Rhône-Alpes

Candidate	Party	First round	%	Second round	%
Anne-Marie Comparini *	UDF-UMP	667,856	31.2	890,433	38.2
Bruno Gollnisch	FN	389,565	18.2	355,861	15.3
Gérard Leras	Verts	215,783	10.1	-	-
Jean-Jack Queyranne	PS-PCF-PRG	688,718	32.2	1,083,120	46.5
Others	-	177,444	8.3	-	-
Total	-	2,139,366	-	2,329,414	-

The left captures the usually conservative Rhône-Alpes region.