1974 French presidential election

Presidential elections were held in France in 1974, following the death of President Georges Pompidou. They went to a second round, and were won by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing by a margin of 1.6%. It is to date the closest presidential election in French history.

1974 French presidential election

← 1969 5 May 1974 (first round) 19 May 1974 (second round) 1981 →

Candidate Valéry Giscard d'Estaing François Mitterrand Party RI PS Popular vote 13,396,203 12,971,604 Percentage 50.8% 49.2%

Results of the second round: the candidate with the plurality of votes in each administrative division.   Valéry Giscard d'Estaing   François Mitterrand

President before election Alain Poher (acting President after Georges Pompidou died in April) CD Elected President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing RI

Other websites

• Radio-TV debate Valéry Giscard d'Estaing/François Mitterrand Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine