French regional elections, 1986
Encyclopedia
Regional elections were held in France on 16 March 1986. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 région
s, which, though they don't have legislative autonomy, manage sizeable budgets. The parliamentary right, led by the conservative Rally for the Republic
and the centre-right Union for French Democracy
won a landslide, winning 20 of 22 metropolitan regional presidencies. The Socialists
only won the Limousin
and the Nord-Pas de Calais
region.
The election was held using a one round proportional system (with a 5% threshold).
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
s, which, though they don't have legislative autonomy, manage sizeable budgets. The parliamentary right, led by the conservative 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 the centre-right Union for French Democracy
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy 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...
won a landslide, winning 20 of 22 metropolitan regional presidencies. The Socialists
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...
only won the Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
and the Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais , Nord for short, is one of the 27 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Most of the region was once part of the Southern Netherlands, within the Low Countries, and gradually became part of France...
region.
The election was held using a one round proportional system (with a 5% threshold).