ABSTRACT
In the opinion of one observer: ‘Of all of the Presidents of the Fifth Republic, only Francois Mitterrand appears to have understood the need constantly to upgrade one’s image while simultaneously grounding it in republican tradition’. His grasp of the broadcasting medium was a gradual and imperfect process. Portrayals of Mitterrand as a republican monarch have claimed support for their theses by focusing on his use of patronage, especially his promotion of members of his own family to prominent positions in the public sector. Certain commentators have even evoked the notion of a Mitterrand dynasty. Mitterrand’s treatment of members of his kinship group should not be considered in isolation. As Giesbert has observed, ‘Faithful to blood relations, Mitterrand is also faithful to bonds of the heart.’ His early promotion of compagnons de route within the government, the administration, the party, parliament and the presidential staff bore testimony to this.
