The Far-Right in France, part 2
After the previous post on the results of the far-right in France since 1946 and a quick analysis of the history of it, time for a shorter but nonetheless important and interesting post on the geographic distribution of the far-right vote since 1956 up to 2007.
Although I said in part 1 how the UFF and the FN were similar, their geographies were entirely different. The vote for the Poujadists in 1956 is similar to the MPF vote in 2007, the UFF received most of its high scores in the Pays de la Loire region, which is a traditionalist and highly Catholic region. The UFF also performed strongly in various departments in the south west and south east of France. Apart from the Vaucluse and a few other departments, the UFF map is different from that of the FN today.
Although I said in part 1 how the UFF and the FN were similar, their geographies were entirely different. The vote for the Poujadists in 1956 is similar to the MPF vote in 2007, the UFF received most of its high scores in the Pays de la Loire region, which is a traditionalist and highly Catholic region. The UFF also performed strongly in various departments in the south west and south east of France. Apart from the Vaucluse and a few other departments, the UFF map is different from that of the FN today.
Continuing on to 1965, some patterns can be seen and the map is comparable to 2007
The vote for Tixier-Vignancour was based in the southeast and southwest. There is a bit of a favorite son factor affecting the vote in the southwest, Tixier-Vignancour was a deputy from the Basse Pyrenees. The Mediterranean coastline departments were still relatively left-leaning in 1965, but the arrival of Pieds-Noirs from Algeria following the end of the Algerian conflict in the 1960s transformed the region, most notably the Bouches-du-Rhone department into FN-Right wing territory.
Jean-Marie Le Pen is originally from the Morbihan department in Brittany even though he represented Paris-area constituencies most of his life. In 1974, he received 0.74% of vote the vote, and was above his national average in Morbihan department, benefiting from a “strong” favorite son factor, although when working with under-one percent numbers its hard to make any trend out of it. He did however break 1% in the Bouches-du-Rhone, the Var, and Alpes Maritimes.
It would be useless of course to look at the FN’s results up until 1986. Starting in 1986 one can see the strengthening of the FN in the east of France, especially in Alsace and Lorraine and at a lesser extent in the Nord-Pas de Calais.
The list below shows the departments in which a FN-CNIP list obtained seats and its % score there.
- Alpes Maritimes (20.88%) ;
- Bouches du Rhône (22.53%) ;
- Gard (14.12%) ;
- Gironde (7.94%) ;
- Hérault (15.55%) ;
- Isère (10.14%) ;
- Loire (12.87%) ;
- Moselle (13.29%) ;
- Nord (11.35%.) ;
- Oise (10.75%.) ;
- Pas de Calais (7.83%) ;
- Pyrénées-Orientales (1908%) ;
- Bas-Rhin (13.05%) ;
- Haut-Rhin (14.46%) ;
- Rhône (13.24%) ;
- Paris (10.99%) ;
- Seine-Maritime (6.72%. ;
- Seine-et-Marne (11.90%.) ;
- Yvelines (10.40%) ;
- Var (17.11%) ;
- Vaucluse (18.08%) ;
- Essonne (9.45%);
- Hauts-de-Seine (11.29%) ;
- Seine Saint Denis (14.52%) ;
- Val-de-Marne (11.61%) ;
- Val d’Oise (12.51%)
Since 1986-1988, the patterns in the FN vote have remained more or less the same: the highest scores in the east, south east, and to a lesser extent the north.
Now we jump to 2002, where Le Pen came out on top in nine out of 22 regions and 35 departments; and as all remember qualified for the runoff. Le Pen won in Alsace, PACA, Lorraine, Bourgogne, and the former Communist stronghold and industrial region of Nord-Pas de Calais. He also won in the Languedoc-Roussillon, Picardie, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comte.
The FN has never broken through in the Catholic regions of Pays de la Loire and Brittany, which has remained a stronghold for the MPF. At the same time, the MPF has never broken through in the frontiste territories. While the FN had regional representation from 1998 to 2004 in the regional councils of these regions, the FN scores there are mostly below national average.
In 2007, Le Pen won no departments and his vote collapsed, most notably in Alsace. while he kept his score at FN average in the Nord-Pas de Calais, where his daughter was the only FN candidate to pass the 12.5% threshold to participate in the second round in the June 2007 legislative elections.