Introduction

Any assessment of the extent of ‘renewal’ in 1995 requires an understanding of the essence of the regime as a whole. In 1958, Charles de Gaulle was brought back into French politics as the saviour of the nation, to resolve the Algerian crisis and re-establish the authority of the French state. The personalisation of the regime’s politics flowed through every level of political life, and the election of the President became – and remains – an event which parties, politicians, voters and commentators all acknowledge (consciously or unconsciously) as a constant influence over choices and activities throughout French politics. Presidentialism is both reflected in and affected by electoral campaigns and the election itself: any modifications to the central institution of the Fifth Republic inflect developments throughout the polity and are therefore of fundamental significance to French party politics in general and to the country as a whole.