PARIS (KRT) — Fearing a setback to democracy, French voters handed incumbent center-right President Jacques Chirac a landslide victory Sunday in a resounding rejection of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen’s candidacy.
With 96 percent of the vote counted, Interior Ministry figures gave Chirac 82 percent, the largest margin of victory in the history of France’s Fifth Republic, its method of governance since 1958. The next highest margin occurred in 1969, when Georges Pompidou won 58 percent.
Chirac’s reelection had been widely expected after two weeks of nationwide demonstrations and debate, prompted by the controversial Le Pen’s second-place finish in the first round of voting April 21. Still, the triumph by Chirac, 69, was reluctantly accepted by his left-wing opponents Sunday, some of whom dressed in black as they cast ballots to defeat Le Pen, head of the National Front.
Clad in black clothes at his polling station in Paris, leftist local council member Gilles Alayrac described Sunday as a dark day for France. “It was very difficult, but I did it for a good reason,” Alayrac said after voting for Chirac. “For the National Front to be second in the first round is quite worrying.”
Chirac, whom many French voters viewed as an unsavory alternative to Le Pen because of corruption allegations against him, moved immediately to reassure the country that he would use his next five years in office to address the issues that enabled Le Pen’s rise. He promised to reaffirm principal French values by improving security, reducing taxes and eliminating discrimination.
“I heard and understood the people’s message to keep the republic alive and the fact that the people wanted a change in politics,” Chirac told supporters of his Rally for the Republic party gathered at his campaign headquarters in Paris. “I feel in charge of all of that now that I’ve been elected.”
Le Pen, who had threatened last week to demand a recount if he received less than 30 percent of the vote, went before television cameras last night and accused Chirac of using “Russian methods” to win. He issued another challenge to Chirac.
“He got his victory as in a Russian vote, where people are made to vote,” said Le Pen, who at age 73 is unofficially considered ineligible to run again. “I’m ready to wait for him at the legislative elections” next month.
The parliamentary vote determines the prime minister and the shape of government, and this year it will decide whether Chirac gets a center-right majority or the left rebounds and retains control of the government.