ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the dynamics of Jacques Chirac's campaign for the French presidential elections in 2002. It analyses the political environment of the 2002 presidential elections and investigates the legacy of cohabitation on the Chirac presidency. The impact of the 'affaires' on the standing of Chirac in the eyes of public opinion was again mediated by the political environment and the dynamics of cohabitation. The chapter also examines the campaign for the first round of the presidential elections and demonstrates how Chirac benefited from a series of contingent developments in the campaign, not least the failure of Lionel Jospin's campaign. It describes the second round of the presidential elections and the campaign for the legislative elections. The chapter argues that the presidential elections transformed the short-term political environment of the legislative elections thereby preparing the way for Chirac's Union pour la Majorite Presidentielle to sweep to power.
