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Notes
1. For other recent election reports in this series, see Aylott and Bolin (Citation2007); Arter (Citation2007); van Holsteyn (Citation2007); O'Malley (Citation2007); Markowski (Citation2006); and Newell (Citation2006).
2. 22 April and 6 May, for the two rounds of the presidential election and 10 and 17 June, for the legislative elections.
3. The only exception is a call, a few days before the closing to signatures, made by some of Sarkozy's lieutenants to make it possible for Jean-Marie Le Pen to be a candidate. The National Front leader had, as in 2002, built the first part of his campaign on the issue of whether he would be able to gather the 500 signatures or not.
4. This constitutional reform only synchronises terms and not dates of elections. However, the synchronisation of dates is now part of the definition of the new institutional equilibrium and is therefore not likely to be abandoned whatever may happen (early dissolution of the National Assembly, resignation or death of the President).
5. This led to passionate debates on the reform of the electoral system, many people underlining that the disproportionate advantage on the two-round system for the UMP did not guarantee any room left for the opposition. It is likely, now, that some kind of mixed system introducing a part of proportional representation will be implemented.
6. The condition is to gain a majority of the votes which represent at least 25 per cent of the registered voters.
7. With 18 députés, the Communist party should have not been able to keep a parliamentary group, the threshold being fixed at 20. It made a deal with Greens députés to be in position to form a group.
8. It should however not be forgotten that more than 100 constituencies did not vote in the second round, all these constituencies being more favourable to the right.
9. This allowed a significant increase of the number of women in the National Assembly, their number rising to 107 (18.5 per cent). Despite the ‘parity law’ (by which parties have to present the same number of men and women as candidates), this figure remains quite low. It is explained by the reluctance of chiefly the UMP to present many women (only 152 female candidates vs. 217 for the Socialists for instance).
10. The general idea was to increase VAT to decrease salary charges, following the German example.