PARIS, May 7 -- Conservative Jacques Chirac was elected president of France Sunday, ending 14 years of Socialist rule by Francois Mitterrand and promising to heal the divisions in French society and slash unemployment. 'I will be president for all French people,' Chirac said in a televised victory speech before hundreds of jubilant supporters. 'I understand how serious my responsibilities are, and I understand the difficulty of the task that awaits us. 'Like you, I want a country that is strong, impartial...and concerned about the proper use of public funds, a country in which those who govern do not become aloof from those who chose them.' As Chirac's victory over Socialist Lionel Jospin became known, tens of thousands of people celebrated on the streets of Paris, honking car horns, waving French flags, flashing victory signs and opening champagne bottles. Thousands of mostly young Chirac supporters jammed the massive Concorde Square and the Champs Elysees Avenue for an all-night street party. Chirac and his aides also had to fight their way through hundreds of well-wishers to reach to their campaign headquarters in Paris' posh 16th district. Partial results released by the Interior Ministry from Sunday's second and final round of the elections showed Chirac had won 51.87 percent of the vote to 48.13 percent by Jospin. Jospin conceded defeat less than an hour after the polls closed. 'The citizens have expressed their choice,' Jospin, smiling despite his loss, said in a televised speech before supporters.
'The decision is serious and difficult to take for a lot of French men and women... A majority have voted for Jacques Chirac. I congratulate him and wish him good luck.' Polling agencies estimated that between 79 and 81 percent of the almost 40 million eligible voters cast ballots Sunday, less than the 84 percent turnout in the second round of the last presidential elections in 1988. The result means Chirac, 62, presently mayor of Paris, will later this month replace Socialist Mitterrand in the Elysee Palace. Mitterrand, 78, and suffering from cancer, is completing his second 7- year term. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, Chirac's closest aide, is expected to be named prime minister. Chirac's victory is the culmination of an almost 30-year campaign that began when he founded the Rally for the Republic party as a vehicle to the presidency and to perpetuate the legacy of conservative nationalism of the late President Gen. Charles de Gaulle. He twice lost presidential elections to Mitterrand, in 1981 and 1988, and has twice been prime minister. In March 1993, he refused the premiership after conservative parties led by the RPR routed the Socialists in legislative elections. He instead named Edouard Balladur as prime minister, so he could concentrate on a third presidential bid. But Balladur,encouraged by opinion polls, last January split the RPR by announcing he would challenge Chirac for the presidency. But it was Jospin who scored a shock win in the April 23 first round of the elections ahead of Chirac. Both qualified for the run-off of the two top vote-getters. Seven other candidates, including Balladur, were eliminated. Jospin's 23 percent score was the lowest by a first-round winner in French election history, as most of the electorate chose candidates from fringe parties in what was seen as protest against the mainstream contenders. Opinion polls published outside of France in the week before the second round had showed Chirac's lead narrowing. The campaign was dominated by domestic concerns, chiefly unemployment, which in France is over 12 percent, housing, taxes and salaries. Chirac has vowed to slash unemployment by cutting the huge social security payments that employers have to make. Currency markets had reacted negatively to his front-runner status, fearing that he will make job-creation programs and economic growth a priority over a stong franc. 'Our main battle has a name: the struggle against unemployment,' Chirac said in his victory speech Sunday. Chirac also successfully adopted an anti-establishment pose despite coming from a privileged background. His appeal to leftist voters drew charges from rivals that he is erratic and unreliable. A BVA exit poll Sunday showed that about half of those who voted for Chirac had been attracted by his programs, while 40 percent had backed him because of his personality. Jospin had a solidly leftist platform, which included proposals to cut the work week from 39 to 37 hours as a means to reduce unemployment, and to halt Balladur's privatization program. Analysts said the most unpredictable element of the second round had been the votes of supporters of Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far- right National Front. Le Pen, who advocates the repatriation of 3 million immigrants and also opposes the Maastricht Treaty on European unity, came in fourth on April 23 with a surprising 15 percent of the vote, his best performance ever. He had been seen as a 'kingmaker' for the second round, and both finalists have been cautiously seeking his votes. However, the killing of a Moroccan immigrant during a National Front march last week damaged his reputation, and left Chirac more wary about appealing to the anti-immigrant sentiments of Le Pen's voters. But, in what was seen as a last-minute bid to attract National Front support, Chirac on Thursday unexpectedly announced that, if elected, he would hold a referendum on France's future role in Europe. Jospin, 57, a former economics professor and Education minister, was chosen as Socialist Party candidate only after popular former EU chief Jacques Delors refused to stand. But analysts say his stature has grown through a feisty campaign performance, and, despite losing Sunday, he has emerged as the natural leader of the political left, which has been humiliated in recent years through a series of setbacks. In Washington, the White House said President Clinton sent Chirac a 'personal message of congratulations' through the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and said he 'looks forward to continued cooperation' with France on such issues as NATO, the war in the former Yugoslavia, and emerging democracies in Europe and Africa. The White House also said in a statement that Clinton had 'an excellent relationship' with Mitterrand and 'greatly valued' his 'wise counsel.'
Conservative Jacques Chirac was elected president of FranceSunday, ending 14 years of Socialist rule by Francois Mitterrand and promising to slash unemployment and end the divisions in French society. 'I will be president for all French people,' Chirac said in a victory speech to hundreds of jubilant supporters. 'I understand how serious my responsibilities are, and I understand the difficulty of the task that awaits us. 'Like you, I want a country that is strong, impartial...and concerned about the proper use of public funds, a country in which those who govern do not become aloof from those who chose them.' Chirac's rival in the second and final round of the elections, Socialist Lionel Jospin, conceded defeat less than an hour after the polls closed. 'The citizens have expressed their choice,' Jospin, smiling despite his loss, told supporters. 'The decision is serious and difficult to take for a lot of French men and women... A majority have voted for Jacques Chirac. I congratulate him and wish him good luck.' Two polling organizations, BVA and CSA, estimated Chirac had won 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Jospin. Another poll, by the SOFRES organization, gave Chirac 52.2 percent and Jospin 47.8 percent. 'The courage and tenacity of Jacques Chirac have been rewarded,' declared Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, Chirac's closest aide and who is expected to be named prime minister. The polling agencies estimated that between 79 and 81 percent of the almost 40 million eligible voters cast ballots Sunday, less than the 84 percent turnout in the second round of the last presidential elections in 1988. The result means Chirac, presently mayor of Paris, will later this month replace Mitterrand in the Elysee Palace, ending 14 years of Socialist rule of France. His victory is also the culmination of an almost 30-year campaign by Chirac, 62, that began when he founded the Rally for Republic party as a vehicle to the presidency and to perpetuate the legacy of conservative nationalism of the late President Gen. Charles de Gaulle. Chirac twice lost presidential elections to Mitterrand, in 1981 and 1988, and has twice been prime minister. In March 1993, he refused the premiership after conservative parties led by the RPR routed the Socialists in legislative elections. He instead named Edouard Balladur as prime minister, so he could concentrate on a third presidential bid. But Balladur, encouraged by opinion polls, last January split the RPR by announcing he would challenge Chirac for the presidency. But it was Jospin who scored a shock win in the April 23 first round of the elections ahead of Chirac. Both qualified for the run-off of the two top vote-getters. Seven other candidates, including Balladur, were eliminated. Jospin's 23 percent score was the lowest by a first-round winner in French election history, as most of the electorate chose candidates from fringe parties in what was seen as protest against the mainstream contenders. Opinion polls published outside of France in the week before the second round had showed Chirac's lead narrowing. The campaign was dominated by domestic concerns, chiefly unemployment, which in France is over 12 percent, housing, taxes and salaries. Chirac has vowed to slash unemployment by cutting the huge social security payments that employers have to make. Currency markets had reacted negatively to his front-runner status, fearing that he will make job-creation programs and economic growth a priority over a stong franc. 'Our main battle has a name: the struggle against unemployment,' Chirac said in his victory speech Sunday. Chirac also successfully adopted an anti-establishment pose despite coming from a privileged background. His appeal to leftist voters drew charges from rivals that he is erratic and unreliable. A BVA exit poll Sunday showed that about half of those who voted for Chirac had been attracted by his programs, while 40 percent had backed him because of his personality. Jospin had a solidly leftist platform, which included proposals to cut the work week from 39 to 37 hours as a means to reduce unemployment, and to halt Balladur's privatization program. Analysts said the most unpredictable element of the second round had been the votes of supporters of Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far- right National Front. Le Pen, who advocates the repatriation of 3 million immigrants and also opposes the Maastricht Treaty on European unity, came in fourth on April 23 with a surprising 15 percent of the vote, his best performance ever. He had been seen as a 'kingmaker' for the second round, and both finalists have been cautiously seeking his votes. However, the killing of a Moroccan immigrant during a National Front march last week damaged his reputation, and left Chirac more wary about appealing to the anti-immigrant sentiments of Le Pen's voters. But, in what was seen as a last-minute bid to attract National Front support, Chirac on Thursday unexpectedly announced that, if elected, he would hold a referendum on France's future role in Europe. Jospin, 57, a former economics professor and Education minister, was chosen as Socialist Party candidate only after popular former EU chief Jacques Delors refused to stand. But analysts say his stature has grown through a feisty campaign performance, and, despite losing Sunday, he has emerged as the natural leader of the political left, which has been humiliated in recent years through a series of setbacks. In Washington, the White House said President Clinton sent Chirac a 'personal message of congratulations' through the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and said he 'looks forward to continued cooperation' with France on such issues as NATO, the war in the former Yugoslavia, and emerging democracies in Europe and Africa. The White House also said in a statement that Clinton had 'an excellent relationship' with Mitterrand and 'greatly valued' his 'wise counsel.'
