centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...

political party in France This article contains a list of political parties in France. France has a multi-party political system: one in which the number of competing political parties is sufficiently large as to make it almost inevitable that in order to participate in ...

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle with ...

political right Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, auth ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Christian democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social ...

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle with ...

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

Perspectives and Realities Clubs The National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs (''Fédération Nationale des Clubs Perspectives et Réalités'', CPR) was a centrist political movement in France. It was founded in May 1965 by Jean-Pierre Fourcade and was a founding co ...

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

president of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle with ...

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

Raymond Barre Raymond Octave Joseph Barre (; 12 April 192425 August 2007) was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents (Rey, ...

Verdun-sur-le-Doubs Verdun-sur-le-Doubs (, literally ''Verdun on the Doubs'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.PCF), the Socialists ( PS), the Neo-Gaullists ( RPR) and his own followers. He therefore sought to formally organise a political grouping which would represent the position of his followers. Consequently, the UDF confederation was born. Contrary to the Neo-Gaullists, the Giscardian UDF advocated less economic interventionism by the state, the decentralisation in aid of the local authorities, and a strong commitment towards the building of a

federal Europe The United States of Europe (USE), the European State, the European Federation and Federal Europe, is the hypothetical scenario of the European integration leading to formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of Americ ...

. According to the historian

René Rémond René Rémond (; 30 September 1918 – 14 April 2007) was a French historian, political scientist and political economist. Born in Lons-le-Saunier, Rémond was the Secretary General of Jeunesses étudiantes Catholiques (JEC France in 1943) and a ...

, the UDF descended from the Orleanist tradition of the right, whereas the RPR was a reincarnation of the

Bonapartist Bonapartism (french: Bonapartisme) is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In thi ...

tradition, which promotes national independence by virtue of a strong state. After the right (the RPR and UDF) won the 1978 legislative election and the subsequent focus of both groups towards the 1981 presidential campaign, the relations between the two parties of the parliamentary majority deteriorated. Indeed, RPR leader Jacques Chirac criticized the market-oriented and

pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Politi ...

policy of the executive duo. During the 1979 European electoral campaign, Chirac published the Call of Cochin where the UDF was accused of being "the foreign party". As the UDF list, led by

Simone Veil Simone Veil (; ; 13 July 1927 – 30 June 2017) was a French magistrate and politician who served as Health Minister in several governments and was President of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1982, the first woman to hold that office. ...

, obtained a very good result compared with RPR's score, the quarrels between the two parties and the rivalry between Giscard d'Estaing and Chirac contributed, in 1981, to the defeat of the incumbent UDF president who ran for a second term.

The Eighties

After the election of François Mitterrand as president, the two centre-right parliamentary parties reconciled. Gradually, the RPR abandoned Gaullist doctrine and joined the market-oriented and pro-European positions of the UDF. Although, they presented a common list at the 1984 European Parliament election, their leaders Chirac and Barre competed for the leadership of the French centre-right. Focused on winning the 1986 legislative election, Chirac, unlike Barre, accepted the principle of "

cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...

" with President Mitterrand. Furthermore, some UDF politicians (notably from the Republican Party) covertly supported Chirac. Consequently, he became

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

, from 1986 to 1988, and the UDF played a supporting role in his cabinet and in the parliamentary majority. Barre was a candidate in the 1988 presidential election, yet, despite his popularity, he was not supported by all UDF personalities. Giscard d'Estaing himself refused to choose clearly and publicly between his two former Prime Ministers. Eliminated in the first round, Barre called on his supporters to vote for Chirac in the second round, but despite this, Chirac was defeated by Mitterrand. After the re-election of Mitterrand, some UDF members participated as ministers in the

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

cabinets of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Michel Rocard Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...

. Others created a new parliamentary group, the Centrist Union, which occasionally voted with the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

or with the RPR. For Giscard d'Estaing, Barre's failure to strengthen the UDF, allowed him retake the leadership of the UDF. However, his authority, and that of the other right-wing leaders (Chirac, Barre etc.) was contested by a new generation of politicians called the "renovation men", who accused the old guard leadership of bearing responsibility for the electoral defeats of the right.

The Nineties

In 1991, the dismissal of Rocard caused the departure of the centrist ministers from the government. All of the UDF and the RPR were allied in opposition to the Socialist power which was weakened by the economic crisis, scandals, and internal quarrels. The RPR/UDF coalition named "

Union for France The Union for France (french: Union pour la France, UPF) was an electoral alliance between the Rally for the Republic and Union for French Democracy formed from 1992 until 1997. The label is used in the 2022 French legislative election by an alli ...

" comfortably won the 1993 legislative election and obtained a massive majority in the National Assembly. The new Neo-Gaullist Prime Minister Edouard Balladur nominated a large number of UDF members to his cabinet:

François Léotard François Gerard Marie Léotard (; born 26 March 1942, in Cannes) is a retired French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard (1940–2001) was his brother. Member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the ...

(PR) became minister of Defense,

Gérard Longuet Gérard Longuet (; born 24 February 1946 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French conservative politician who has served as a member of the Senate from 2001 to 2011 and again since 2012, representing Meuse. He served as Minister of ...

(PR) of Industry,

Pierre Méhaignerie Pierre Méhaignerie (born 4 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a former deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and the former mayor of Vitré (re-elected in March 2008). He was elected in 1973 to the French parliament ...

(CDS) of Justice, François Bayrou (CDS) of Education,

Simone Veil Simone Veil (; ; 13 July 1927 – 30 June 2017) was a French magistrate and politician who served as Health Minister in several governments and was President of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1982, the first woman to hold that office. ...

(PR) of Health and Social Affairs,

Alain Madelin Alain Madelin (; born 26 March 1946) is a French politician. Politician Madelin was minister of Industry in Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's cabinet from 1986 to 1988, a minister of Business in Prime Minister Édouard Balladur's cabinet f ...

(PR) of Commerce,

Bernard Bosson Bernard Bosson (25 February 1948 – 16 May 2017) was a French politician and lawyer. He served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur Édouard Balladur (; born 2 ...

(CDS) of Transport,

Jean Puech Jean Puech (born 22 February 1942, in Viviez) is a French politician. He was first a member of the Republican Party before joining the Union for a Popular Movement. Between 1980 and 1993 and again between 1996 and 2008, he was a Senator ...

(CDS) of Agriculture,

André Rossinot André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party. Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...

(Rad) of Civil Service and

Hervé de Charette Hervé de Charette (; born 30 July 1938 in Paris) is a French centrist politician. He is a descendant of the royalist military leader François de Charette and of king Charles X of France. Member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he was ...

(CPR) of Housing. During the 1995 presidential campaign the different components of the UDF were unable to agree on a common candidacy and consequently they divided between the two RPR candidates. Most UDF members supported Edouard Balladur, whereas a minority endorsed

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

, as

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

had proposed. Supporters of Giscard formed the

Popular Party for French Democracy Democratic Convention (''Convention démocrate'', CD) is a centrist- liberal political party in France led by Hervé de Charette. It is the continuation of the Popular Party for French Democracy, established in 1995. The Popular Party for French ...

(PPDF), that succeeded to the

Perspectives and Realities Clubs The National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs (''Fédération Nationale des Clubs Perspectives et Réalités'', CPR) was a centrist political movement in France. It was founded in May 1965 by Jean-Pierre Fourcade and was a founding co ...

, while the CDS merged with the PSD into Democratic Force (FD). In 1996 a former ''balladurien'',

François Léotard François Gerard Marie Léotard (; born 26 March 1942, in Cannes) is a retired French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard (1940–2001) was his brother. Member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the ...

, was elected president of the UDF by defeating

Alain Madelin Alain Madelin (; born 26 March 1946) is a French politician. Politician Madelin was minister of Industry in Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's cabinet from 1986 to 1988, a minister of Business in Prime Minister Édouard Balladur's cabinet f ...

. After Chirac's election as president of France, some UDF ministers were dismissed as a result of their support for Balladur. Nevertheless, in

Alain Juppé Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans (France), The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced 1995 strikes ...

's cabinet, the UDF was given several ministries including Foreign Affairs with

Hervé de Charette Hervé de Charette (; born 30 July 1938 in Paris) is a French centrist politician. He is a descendant of the royalist military leader François de Charette and of king Charles X of France. Member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he was ...

(PPDF), Defense with

Charles Millon Charles Marie Philippe Millon (born 13 November 1945) is a French politician who served as Minister of Defence from 1995 to 1997 under Prime Minister Alain Juppé. A former member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he represented Ain in t ...

(PR), Economy and Finances with Alain Madelin (PR), Industry with Yves Galland (Rad), Education with François Bayrou (CDS/FD), Commerce with

Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005. He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...

(PR), Labour with

Jacques Barrot Jacques Barrot (3 February 1937 – 3 December 2014) was a French politician, who served as European Commissioner for Justice between 2008 and 2010, after having spent four years serving as Commissioner for Transport (2004–2008) and Commissi ...

(CDS/FD), Agriculture with Philippe Vasseur (CDS/FD), Culture with

Philippe Douste-Blazy Philippe Douste-Blazy (; born 1 January 1953) is a French United Nations official and former centre-right politician. Over the course of his career, he served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Adviser on Innovative Financi ...

(CDS/FD), Economic Development with Jean Arthuis (PR) and Reform and Decentralization with Claude Goasguen (PR). After the right-wing defeat in the 1997 legislative election, the UDF faced a major crisis. While the centrist components had merged into FD led by François Bayrou, the liberal-conservatives tried to overcome the ''chiraquiens''/''balladuriens'' fracture. The PR was joined by some politicians from the PPDF, such as Jean Pierre Raffarin (a former Republican) and was renamed

Liberal Democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...

(DL). DL soon began to reassert its autonomy within the alliance and finally broke ranks with the UDF in 1998. The event which triggered the split was the election of UDF politicians at the head of four regional councils, who won with support from the National Front. DL refused to condemn the arrangement, whilst the centrists did.

New UDF

This led to a re-organisation of UDF into the New UDF (''Nouvelle UDF''). The new alliance was launched as a single party with the merger of FD and the

Republican Independent and Liberal Pole The Independent Republican and Liberal Pole (french: Pôle républicain indépendant et libéral, PRIL) was a liberal-centrist political party in France. The PRIL was founded in 1998 by members of Liberal Democracy (DL) who refused to leave th ...

(PRIL, formed in 1998 by those DL members who refused to leave UDF). The Radicals and the PPDF remained as autonomous entities within the new party. The former leader of Democratic Force, François Bayrou became the natural leader of the New UDF. He conceived of it as the embryo of a future centrist party which would include politicians from both the left and right. Bayrou ran for president in the 2002 presidential election, but some UDF leaders supported Chirac. Chirac won reelection comfortably, with Bayrou being eliminated after the first round, having gained only 6.8% of the vote. Bayrou subsequently refused Chirac's invitation to his group, to join the newly formed

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...

catch-all A catch-all or catchall is a general term, or metaphoric dumping group, for a variety of similar words or meanings. Catch-all may also refer to: * Catch-all party, or big tent party * Catch-all email filter *Catch-all taxon Wastebasket taxon (a ...

party, the

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...

(UMP) for the oncoming June 2002 parliamentary elections. Other UDF members, led by

Philippe Douste-Blazy Philippe Douste-Blazy (; born 1 January 1953) is a French United Nations official and former centre-right politician. Over the course of his career, he served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Adviser on Innovative Financi ...

,

Jacques Barrot Jacques Barrot (3 February 1937 – 3 December 2014) was a French politician, who served as European Commissioner for Justice between 2008 and 2010, after having spent four years serving as Commissioner for Transport (2004–2008) and Commissi ...

and

Pierre Méhaignerie Pierre Méhaignerie (born 4 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a former deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and the former mayor of Vitré (re-elected in March 2008). He was elected in 1973 to the French parliament ...

, joined the UMP, leaving Bayrou somewhat isolated. Post-election, the UDF joined the victorious centre-right grouping as a partner in the cabinet of prime minister

Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005. He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...

. Despite this, the UDF sometimes criticised the policies of the French government, although it did not wish to quit the majority coalition and enter the opposition, which was made up mostly of centre-left and left-wing parties. Subsequently, the UDF quit the cabinet (except for

Gilles de Robien Le vicomte Gilles de Robien (; born 10 April 1941) is a French politician and former government minister. The son of Count Jean de Robien by his wife Éliane Le Mesre de Pas, he is descended from the noble Breton family de Robien. In 1989 ...

), after a cabinet reshuffle on 31 March 2004, but still decided to remain in the parliamentary majority coalition. In 2004, the party, along with Italy's

Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy ( it, Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita, DL), commonly known simply as The Daisy (''La Margherita''), was a centrist political party in Italy. The party was formed from the merger of three parties within ...

, was one of the founding members of the

European Democratic Party The European Democratic Party (EDP) (French: Parti Démocrate Européen; PDE) also known as the European Democrats, is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. François Bayrou is the President of the party. All ...

, intended to be home to all those Christian democrats and centrists who were disillusioned with the new course of the European People's Party, which had welcomed the Rally for the Republic and later the UMP. With the exit of the most conservative, Christian-democratic and conservative-liberal components of the UDF in 1998 and 2002, the UDF was now more of a centrist party with socially liberal tendencies. There developed a split among UDF elected officials, between those such as Gilles de Robien and

Pierre-Christophe Baguet Pierre-Christophe Baguet (born 11 May 1955) is a French politician, mayor of Boulogne-Billancourt and member of the National Assembly of France between 1997 and 2012. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a département in ...

, who favored closer ties with the UMP, and those such as François Bayrou who advocate independent centrist policies, while others such as

Jean Dionis du Séjour Jean Dionis du Séjour (born 21 September 1956, in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne), is a French politician from the former centrist UDF party. He is now member of the New Centre (NC). Deputy of the first Lot-et-Garonne constituency from 2002 to 2012, he ...

tried steering for a middle course. The most likely reason for many of the UDF's elected officials favouring close ties with the UMP was that most of the UDF's elected positions are obtained through cooperative alliances with UMP. However, the party's base overwhelmingly favored independence. At the congress of Lyon, on 28–29 January 2006, 91% of the members voted to retain the independence of the UDF from the UMP and transform it into an independent centrist party. This outcome meant that the orientation of the evolving UDF would be that of a

social-liberal Social liberalism (german: Sozialliberalismus, es, socioliberalismo, nl, Sociaalliberalisme), also known as new liberalism in the United Kingdom, modern liberalism, or simply liberalism in the contemporary United States, left-liberalism ...

party aiming for a balance between social-democratic and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

policies.

Democratic Movement

On 16 May 2006, François Bayrou and his 10 other UDF deputies voted for the motion of censure brought by the

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

deputies calling for the resignation of Prime Minister

Dominique de Villepin Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac. In his career working at the Ministry ...

's government, following the

Clearstream affair The Clearstream affair was a political scandal in France in the run-up to the 2007 presidential election. The name refers to the Luxembourg bank Clearstream Banking S.A, now wholly owned by Deutsche Börse, which was alleged to have aided many pr ...

. This motion had no chance of being passed, given that UMP had an absolute majority in the Assembly. Following this event, France's television authority then classified Bayrou and the other UDF deputies who had voted for the motion as being in the opposition for time allocation purposes; however, after Bayrou protested, he was classified as neither majority nor

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

. On 25 April 2007, François Bayrou announced that he would be submitting a plan to a vote by UDF members to create a new Democratic Movement, which was finally launched on 10 May. However, most of the UDF's deputies protested and formed the

New Centre The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly known as New Centre (''Nouveau Centre'', NC) and European Social Liberal Party (''Parti Social Libéral Européen'', PSLE), is a centre-right political party in France formed by the members of ...

(to support

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

). In the subsequent legislative elections held in June, the MoDem won only 3 seats (but 7.6% of the vote) whilst its New Centre rivals won 22 seats (but only 2.4%). On 30 November 2007, the UDF effectively ceased to exist, and was fully integrated within the Democratic Movement, headed by François Bayrou.

Ideology and political position

UDF's most marked political trait was that it was in favor of European

federalism Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...

, up to the point of turning the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

into the

United States of Europe The United States of Europe (USE), the European State, the European Federation and Federal Europe, is the hypothetical scenario of the European integration leading to formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of Ameri ...

. In that respect, UDF was the likely target of Chirac's Call of Cochin (1978), in which he denounced the pro-European policies of "the party of the foreigners". Until 2002, the UDF spanned a somewhat wide ideological spectrum on the centre-right. A

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

characterisation of UDF's membership is that it was the union of everybody on the right that was neither far-right nor a Chirac supporter. However, the UDF suffered for its lack of cohesion, in contrast to the RPR. The economic policies proposed by UDF's leaders ranged from left-leaning, in favor of

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

, to strongly

laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups. ...

economics. Such divergences led the laissez-faire advocates of

Liberal Democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...

, such as

Alain Madelin Alain Madelin (; born 26 March 1946) is a French politician. Politician Madelin was minister of Industry in Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's cabinet from 1986 to 1988, a minister of Business in Prime Minister Édouard Balladur's cabinet f ...

, to split out of UDF on 16 May 1998. This departure followed the elections of UDF politicians for the presidents of 4 regional councils with the votes of FN elects. Indeed, the Liberals refused to condemn these alliances. Similarly, the social policies ranged from the

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

of the likes of Christine Boutin, famously opposed to

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

s for

homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, to more socially progressive policies. Boutin was excluded from the UDF because of her strong social conservatism; in March 2001 she formed the

Forum of Social Republicans VIA, the Way of the People (french: VIA , la voie du peuple, links=no, VIA) is a social conservative and Christian rightist party in France. The party was known as the Forum of Social Republicans (FRS) between 2001 and June 2009 before being ad ...

, which is now affiliated with

Reconquête Reconquête (; en, Reconquest), styled as Reconquête! (R!), is a nationalist political party in France founded in late 2021 by Éric Zemmour, who has since served as its leader. He was a far-right candidate in the 2022 presidential election, ...

. During the 2007 presidential electoral campaign, François Bayrou presented himself as a centrist and a social-liberal, (he even opened the door to gay adoptions) proclaiming that if elected, he would "govern beyond the left-right divide". He won 18.6% of the vote, but this was not enough for him to reach the second round.

Factions

* Bayrouistes, those who wanted the UDF to be independent from UMP:

Marielle de Sarnez Marielle de Sarnez (; 27 March 195113 January 2021) was a French politician who served as Secretary of State for European Affairs under Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. A member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) until 2008 when she join ...

, Jean-Louis Bourlanges,

Thierry Cornillet Thierry Cornillet (born 23 July 1951 in Montélimar, Drôme) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-east of France. He is a member of the Union for French Democracy, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals a ...

,

Gilles Artigues The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditi ...

,

Bernard Bosson Bernard Bosson (25 February 1948 – 16 May 2017) was a French politician and lawyer. He served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur Édouard Balladur (; born 2 ...

, Anne-Marie Comparini,

Charles de Courson Charles- Amédée de Courson (born 2 April 1952 in Paris - 16th arrondissement) is a member of the National Assembly of France and a former 'rapporteur', and current secretary of its Finance Commission. He represents the Marne department, a ...

, Jean-Christophe Lagarde,

Jean Lassalle Jean Lassalle (; oc, Joan de Lassala; born 3 May 1955) is a French politician who represented the 4th constituency of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2022. A former member of the Democratic Movement ...

,

Maurice Leroy Maurice Leroy (; born 2 February 1959) is a French politician who served as Minister of City Affairs under President Nicolas Sarkozy in the third government of Prime Minister François Fillon from November 2010 to May 2012. In this capacity, h ...

,

Hervé Morin Hervé Morin (born 17 August 1961) is a French politician of the Centrists who has been serving as the first President of the Regional Council of Normandy since January 2016. Under President Nicolas Sarkozy, he was the Minister of Defence. Po ...

,

Rudy Salles Rudy Salles (born July 30, 1954 in Nice) was a member of the National Assembly of France from 1988 to 2017, representing the Alpes-Maritimes department, as a member of first the Union for French Democracy, then the New Centre. In addition to ...

, Gérard Vignoble,

Nicolas Perruchot Nicolas Perruchot (born July 9, 1966) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Loir-et-Cher department, and is a member of the New Centre. Biography Il est nommé lors des Pandora Papers. He began by working as a c ...

,

Jean-Luc Préel Jean-Luc Préel (30 October 1940 – 3 September 2015) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Vendée department, and was a member of the New Centre The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly know ...

,

François Rochebloine François Rochebloine (born 31 October 1945 in Saint-Chamond, Loire) is a former member of the National Assembly of France. He represented Loire's 3rd constituency, and is a member of the New Centre. The Azerbaijani government has blacklisted ...

,

François Sauvadet François Sauvadet (born 20 April 1953) is a French journalist and politician of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) who has been serving as the president of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France since 2008. Early career Sauva ...

* Society in Movement, those who wanted close ties with UMP:

Gilles de Robien Le vicomte Gilles de Robien (; born 10 April 1941) is a French politician and former government minister. The son of Count Jean de Robien by his wife Éliane Le Mesre de Pas, he is descended from the noble Breton family de Robien. In 1989 ...

, Olivier Jardé,

Jean-Pierre Abelin Jean-Pierre Abelin (born 3 September 1950 in Poitiers, Vienne) is a French politician. Jean-Pierre Abelin is the son of Pierre Abelin.ARRONDISSEMENT DE CHATELLERAULT'' French National Assembly He was a member of the French National Assembly ...

,

Pierre-Christophe Baguet Pierre-Christophe Baguet (born 11 May 1955) is a French politician, mayor of Boulogne-Billancourt and member of the National Assembly of France between 1997 and 2012. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a département in ...

,

Jean Dionis du Séjour Jean Dionis du Séjour (born 21 September 1956, in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne), is a French politician from the former centrist UDF party. He is now member of the New Centre (NC). Deputy of the first Lot-et-Garonne constituency from 2002 to 2012, he ...

, Francis Hillmeyer,

Michel Hunault Michel Hunault (born February 14, 1960 in Châteaubriant) is a French politician. He was a member of the National Assembly of France, representing Loire-Atlantique's 6th constituency from 1993 to 2012. He was a member of (in order) RPR, UM ...

,

Stéphane Demilly Stéphane Demilly (born 26 June 1963 in Albert, Somme) is a French politician of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) who served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 2002 until 2020, representing the Somme department. ...

,

Yvan Lachaud Yvan Lachaud (born March 4, 1954 in Nîmes, Gard) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Gard department, and is a member of the New Centre. In 2019, Lachaud publicly declared his support for incumbent President Emm ...

,

André Santini André Santini (; born 20 October 1940) is a French politician and current mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine. A former member of the UDF, he did not support François Bayrou, the candidate of his party for the first round of the 2 ...

, Francis Vercamer, Claude Leteurtre,

Rodolphe Thomas Rodolphe Thomas (born 8 August 1962) is a French politician and member of the MoDem. Born in Falaise, he moved to the new town of Hérouville-Saint-Clair in 1966, where his parents opened one of the first stores in the city. After one term in ...

On 10 May 2007, when Bayrou launched his new Democratic Movement, only 6 deputies out of 29 (Pierre-Cristophe Baguet is not counted as he was expelled from the party on 10 October 2006) followed him (Gilles Artigues, Anne-Marie Comparini, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, Jean Lassalle, Gérard Vignoble and he himself). The others, comprising the members of Society in Movement and also Hervé Morin, Jean-Louis Bourlanges and other Bayrou's supporters until then, joined the presidential majority coalition in support of the new President

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

and formed a new "centrist pole" within it, the

New Centre The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly known as New Centre (''Nouveau Centre'', NC) and European Social Liberal Party (''Parti Social Libéral Européen'', PSLE), is a centre-right political party in France formed by the members of ...

led by Hervé Morin.

Composition

Presidents

*

Jean Lecanuet Jean Adrien François Lecanuet (4 March 1920 – 22 February 1993) was a French centrist politician. Biography Lecanuet was born to a family of modest means in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and gravitated towards philosophy studies. He received his di ...

(1978–1988) *

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

(1988–1996) *

François Léotard François Gerard Marie Léotard (; born 26 March 1942, in Cannes) is a retired French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard (1940–2001) was his brother. Member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the ...

(1996–1998) * François Bayrou (1998–2007)

Election results

Presidential elections

Legislative elections

European elections

Literature

*

External links

Official web site (Redirects to Democratic Movement's official website)

Notelist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Union For French Democracy 1978 establishments in France 2007 disestablishments in France Centrist parties in France Christian democratic parties in Europe Defunct political parties in France European Democratic Party Liberal parties in France Member parties of the European People's Party Political parties disestablished in 2007 Political parties established in 1978 Political parties of the French Fifth Republic Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Pro-European political parties in France

History

Foundation and early years

The Eighties

The Nineties

New UDF

Democratic Movement

Ideology and political position

Factions

Composition

Presidents

Election results

Presidential elections

Legislative elections

European elections

Literature

External links

Notelist

References