French Presidentialism and the Elections of 1995

by John Gaffney

In 1995 for the second time in the course of the Fifth Republic, a presidential election took place during a period of "cohabitation" between the Socialist President and a right-wing coalition government. However, it was clear that the President would not seek re-election. This volume resulted from a research project focusing firstly on an understanding of French presidentialism, in order to grasp not only what happened in 1995, but also to understand French politics and society in general. Secondly, the volume aims to provide reflective academic analysis to counter balance the great quantities of journalistic commentary offered by the mass media on the occasion of an election. The book addresses the context of the 1995 election by explaining how presidentialism emerged in the Fifth Republic, and by examining the legacies of history and France's constitutional arrangements. The second part of the book focuses on the events of 1995.

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