Republican Party (France)

The Republican Party (French: Parti républicain, PR) was a liberal conservative[2] political party in France founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966.[3] It was created by the then-President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. It was known to be conservative in domestic, social and economic policies, pro-NATO, and pro-European.[4]

Not to be confused with The Republicans (France).
Republican Party
Parti Républicain
LeaderValéry Giscard d'Estaing
PresidentJean-Pierre Soisson
Jacques Blanc
Gérard Longuet
François Léotard
FounderValéry Giscard d'Estaing
Founded20 May 1977
Dissolved24 June 1997
Preceded byIndependent Republicans[1]
IdeologyLiberal conservative[2]
Political positionCentre-right
National affiliationUnion for French Democracy
European affiliationELDR
European Parliament groupELDR Group (until 1994)
EPP Group (from 1994)
ColoursBlue and red

In 1978, the Republican Party allied with centrist groups to form the Union for French Democracy (UDF), a confederation created in order to support President Giscard d'Estaing and counterbalance the influence of the Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) over the French centre-right. However, after Giscard d'Estaing's defeat at the 1981 presidential election, the PR gravitated away from its founder and a new generation of politicians, led by François Léotard, took the lead.

This group called la bande à Léo ("Léo(tard)'s band"), advocated an alliance with the RPR and covertly supported RPR leader Jacques Chirac's candidacy in the 1988 presidential election, against the official UDF candidate Raymond Barre.

During the 1995 presidential campaign, the PR divided again between the two main centre-right candidates: François Léotard and Gérard Longuet supported Edouard Balladur while Alain Madelin and Jean-Pierre Raffarin supported Jacques Chirac, who won.

Until the split of the UDF confederation in 1998, the Republican Party was its liberal component, advocating economic liberalism. In 1997, it was replaced by Liberal Democracy (DL) led by Alain Madelin.

Presidents

Independent Republicans

Republican Party

References
  1. David S. Bell (2002), French Politics Today, Manchester University Press, p. 88
  2. Carol Diane St Louis (2011). Negotiating Change: Approaches to and the Distributional Implications of Social Welfare and Economic Reform. Stanford University. p. 77.
  3. "Republican Party | political party, France | Britannica".
  4. Cook, Chris; Francis, Mary (1979). The first European elections: A handbook and guide. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0-333-26575-0.


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