1984 European Parliament election in France

In 1984 the second direct elections to the European Parliament were held in France. Four parties were able to win seats: an alliance of the centre right Union for French Democracy and the Gaullist Rally for the Republic, the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party, and the Front National. 56.7% of the French population turned out on election day.

European Parliament election in France, 1984

14–17 June 1984
81 seats to the European Parliament

The result was the first time the far-right Front National obtained important results — this time 10.8% and close to the declining French Communist Party. Jonah Birch argues in Jacobin that the FN's rise in popularity was caused by the Socialists abandoning their Keynesian platform the previous year and instead pursuing policies of austerity.[1]

Results

 Summary of the results of France's 1984 election to the European Parliament

← 1979 • 1984 • 1989 →
National party		European party	Main candidate	Votes	%	+/−	Seats	+/−
	Union for French Democracy (UDF) + Rally for the Republic (RPR)		Simone Veil	8,683,596	43.03		41
	Socialist Party (PS)		Lionel Jospin	4,188,875	20.76		20
	Communist Party (PCF)		Georges Marchais	2,261,312	11.21		10
	National Front (FN)		Jean-Marie Le Pen	2,210,334	10.95		10
	The Greens (VERTS)		Didier Anger	680,080	3.37		0
	UCR + Ecologists + MRG		François Doubin Brice Lalonde Olivier Stirn	670,474	3.32		0
	Workers' Struggle (LO)		Arlette Laguiller	417,702	2.07		0
	Union for French Democracy dissidents (UDF diss.)		Francine Gomez	382,404	1.89		0
	Others					—	0	—
Valid votes				20,180,934	96.47
Blank and invalid votes				737,838	3.53
Totals				20,918,772	100	—	81	0
Electorate (eligible voters) and voter turnout				36,880,688	56.72
Source: France-politique.fr

References

1. Birch, Jonah (19 August 2015). "The Many Lives of François Mitterrand". Jacobin. Retrieved 22 March 2017.