French regional elections, 2004

French regional elections, 2004

← 1998 21 March and 28 March 2004 2010 →
26 Regional Presidencies
First party Second party Third party   Leader François Hollande Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Marie Le Pen Party PS UMP FN Regions won 23 2 0 Change 12 12 First round 8,938,695 8,179,866 3,564,059 Percentage 36.86% 33.73% 14.7% Second round 12,896,820 9,519,416 3,199,392 Percentage 49.91% 36.84% 12.38%
Second round results by region.   Union for a Popular Movement   Socialist Party   Martinican Independence Movement   Communist Party of Réunion   Miscellaneous left

Regional elections in were held in France on 21 and 28 March 2004. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 regions which, although they do not have legislative powers, manage sizeable budgets. The results were a triumph for the parties of the left, led by the French Socialist Party (PS) in alliance with minor parties including the French Communist Party (PCF), the Left Radical Party (PRG) and The Greens (Les Verts). The left has usually fared moderately well in regional elections, but this was their best result since the regional system was introduced.

The left won control of twenty of the twenty-two regions of metropolitan France, defeating the parties of the mainstream right, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and the Union for French Democracy (UDF), and the extreme right National Front (FN). The results were seen as a major setback for the then President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

The first round was held on 21 March. Since no candidate gained a majority in any region, a second round was held on 28 March, in which only candidates who polled more than 10% in the first round were eligible to run (except in Corsica, where the threshold is 5%). The UMP seat numbers are compared to those of the RPR and RPR dissidents together in 1998, the UDF seat numbers are compared to those of the UDF and UDF dissidents together in 1998.

See Alsace Regional Council

Conservative Alsace is one of only two regions retained by the right.

Aquitaine is a traditional stronghold of the left.

The former President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was seeking a fourth term as President of Auvergne.