2004 French regional elections
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 in alliance with minor parties, including the French Communist Party, the Left Radical Party and The Greens. 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 and the Union for French Democracy, and the extreme right National Front. The results were seen as a major setback for the then President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
National results
| Grouping | Parties | Votes | % | Votes | % | Regions | Seats | |
| Left | PS-Verts-PCF-PRG-MRC-DVG | 8,938,695 | 36.86% | 12,896,820 | 49.91% | 23 | 1,126 | |
| Right | UMP-UDF-MPF-DVD | 8,179,866 | 33.73% | 9,519,416 | 36.84% | 2 | 522 | |
| FN | FN | 3,564,059 | 14.70% | 3,199,392 | 12.38% | – | 156 | |
| Far-left | LCR/LO | 1,199,190 | 4.95% | – | – | – | – | |
| The Greens | Les Verts-UDB-PO | 546,474 | 2.25% | – | – | – | – | |
| CPNT | CPNT | 397,024 | 1.64% | – | – | – | – | |
| Ecologists | MEI-GE-CAP21 | 385,481 | 1.59% | – | – | – | – | |
| Far-Right | MNR-Alsace d'abord | 349,181 | 1.44% | – | – | – | – | |
| Miscellaneous Left | 252,620 | 1.04% | 111,720 | 0.43% | – | 36 | ||
| Miscellaneous Right | 179,015 | 0.74% | 11,094 | 0.04% | – | 4 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 164,397 | 0.68% | – | – | – | – | ||
| Regionalists | MIM-Corsican regionalists | 94,351 | 0.39% | 99,512 | 0.39% | 1 | 36 | |
| Total | 24,250,353 | 100.00% | 25,837,954 | 100.00% | 26 | 1,880 |
Results by region
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. 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.Alsace
See Alsace Regional Council| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Adrien Zeller ' | UMP | 225,193 | 34.06% | 299,353 | 43.56% | |
| Jacques Bigot | PS-Verts | 133,038 | 20.12% | 236,709 | 34.44% | |
| Patrick Binder | FN | 122,860 | 18.58% | 151,187 | 22.00% | |
| Robert Spieler | Alsace d'abord | 62,253 | 9.42% | – | – | |
| Antoine Waechter | MEI | 48.949 | 7.40% | – | – | |
| Alfred Wahl | PCF-PRG-MRC | 24,692 | 3.73% | – | – | |
| Patrick Merck | Divers | 23,540 | 3.56% | – | – | |
| Françoise Ruch | LCR/LO | 20,004 | 3.03% | – | – | |
| Pascale Grauss | Federalist Party | 578 | 0.09% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 661,107 | 100,00% | 687,249 | 100,00% |
Regional Council
Conservative Alsace is one of only two regions retained by the right.Aquitaine
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Alain Rousset ' | PS-PRG-Verts | 516,392 | 38.42% | 769,893 | 54.87% | |
| Xavier Darcos | UMP-CNIP | 247,232 | 18.40% | 469,386 | 33.46% | |
| Jacques Colombier | FN | 153,859 | 11.45% | 163,731 | 11.67% | |
| François Bayrou | UDF | 215,796 | 16.06% | – | – | |
| Jean Saint-Josse | CPNT | 96,925 | 7.21% | – | – | |
| Annie Guilhamet | PCF-MRC | 58,485 | 4.35% | – | – | |
| Martine Mailfert | LCR/LO | 55,215 | 4.11% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 1,343,904 | 100.00% | 1,403,010 | 100.00% |
Regional Council
is a traditional stronghold of the left.Auvergne
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Pierre-Joël Bonté | PS | 167,433 | 28.22% | 333,301 | 52.67% | |
| Valéry Giscard d'Estaing ' | UMP-UDF-FRS | 215,921 | 36.39% | 299,483 | 47.33% | |
| Louis de Condé | FN | 56,874 | 9.58% | - | - | |
| André Chassaigne | PCF | 54,609 | 9.20% | – | – | |
| Yves Gueydon | Verts | 33,272 | 5.61% | – | – | |
| Marie Savre | LCR/LO | 25,389 | 4.28% | – | – | |
| Hugues Auvray | Miscellaneous Right-wing | 20,498 | 3.45% | – | – | |
| Hubert Constancias | MEI-Mouvement Hommes-Animaux-Nature | 20,498 | 3.45% | – | – | |
| Claude Jaffrès | MNR | 6,108 | 1.03% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 593,391 | 100.00% | 632,784 | 100.00% |
Regional Council
The former President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was seeking a fourth term as President of Auvergne.Brittany
Regional Council
Normally conservative Brittany is captured by the left.Burgundy
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| François Patriat | PS-PCF-PRG-Verts | 240,445 | 36.01% | 369,288 | 52.49% | |
| Jean-Pierre Soisson ' | UMP-MDR | 145,428 | 21.78% | 226,148 | 32.14% | |
| Pierre Jaboulet-Vercherre | FN | 105,270 | 15.77% | 108,133 | 15.37% | |
| François Sauvadet | UDF | 88,674 | 12.98% | – | – | |
| Julien Gonzalez | MEI | 34,810 | 5.21% | – | – | |
| Jacqueline Lambert | LCR/LO | 26,191 | 3.92% | – | – | |
| Joël Mekhantar | MRC | 17,213 | 2.58% | – | – | |
| Claude Moreau | MNR | 11,701 | 1.75% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 669,732 | 100.00% | 703,569 | 100.00% |
Regional Council
returned to its usual left-wing loyalty. It is suspected that the incumbent Jean-Pierre Soisson was punished for his coalition with the National Front.Centre
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Michel Sapin ' | PS-PCF-PRG-Verts-MRC | 378,235 | 38.15% | 517,990 | 49.15% | |
| Serge Vinçon | UMP-MPF | 205,262 | 20.71% | 362,373 | 34.39% | |
| Jean Verdon | FN | 173,651 | 17.52% | 173,463 | 16.46% | |
| Jacqueline Gourault | UDF-CAP21 | 135,779 | 13.70% | – | – | |
| Jean-Jacques Prodhomme | LCR/LO | 55,640 | 5.61% | – | – | |
| François Caré | CPNT | 42,793 | 4.32% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 991,360 | 100.00% | 1,053,826 | 100.00% |
Regional Council
The left retains control of this region. Sapin replaces the retiring incumbent Alain Rafesthain.Champagne-Ardenne
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Jean-Paul Bachy | PS-PCF-PRG-Verts-MRC | 141,099 | 27.94% | 228,569 | 41.88% | |
| Jean-Claude Etienne ' | UMP-MPF | 134,640 | 26.66% | 217,424 | 39.84% | |
| Bruno Subtil | FN | 99,592 | 19.72% | 99,728 | 18.27% | |
| Charles de Courson | UDF | 56,110 | 11.11% | – | – | |
| Marie-Angèle Klaine | Verts | 37,937 | 7.51% | – | – | |
| Thomas Rose | LCR/LO | 25,247 | 5.00% | – | – | |
| Jacques Gaillard | MNR | 10,360 | 2.05% | – | – | |
| Total''' | 504,985 | 100.00% | 545,721 | 100.00% |