The Gauche Plurielle (French for Plural Left) was a left-wing coalition in France, composed of the Socialist Party (Parti socialiste or PS), the French Communist Party (Parti communiste français or PCF), the Greens, the Left Radical Party (Parti radical de gauche or PRG), and the Citizens' Movement (Mouvement des citoyens or MDC). It governed from 1997 to 2002. The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS), which replaced the SFIO in 1969, is as of 2006 the main opposition party in France. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Les verts (the Greens) is one Green Party of France. ... The Left Radical Party (Parti Radical de Gauche or PRG) is a minor French centre-left, social-liberal party with moderate views, formed in 1972 by a split from the Radical Republicans and Radical Socialists Party, once the dominant party of the French left. ...

The Origins

During the 1970s, the PS, the PCF and the Left-wing Radicals formed the "Union of Left" based on a Common Programme. But the policy of the PS leader François Mitterrand, elected President of France in 1981, did not correspond exactly to this programme, notably since 1983. One year later, the Communist ministers resigned. After that, the "Union of Left" was only a circumstantial electoral alliance. (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) was a French politician. ... The President of France, known officially as the President of the Republic (Président de la République in French), is Frances elected Head of State. ...

After Mitterrand's re-election in 1988, the PS and the Left-wing radicals obtained a relative parliamentary majority. However, the PCF chosen to support or not the government in function of the policies it dicided. In the same time, the PS tried an alliance with the center-right, in vain. It faced an electoral disater in 1993. The former Prime Minister Michel Rocard, who took the lead of the PS, called a political "big-bang", that is to say a new attempt of alliance with the center-right. But this one refused. Rocard lost the lead of the PS after his failed in the 1994 European Parliament election. French legislative election took place on March 21 and 28, 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. ... Michel Rocard, French politician Michel Rocard (born August 23, 1930) is a French Socialist politician, former French Prime minister, and currently a member of the European Parliament. ...

The PS prepared the 1995 presidential election, but it was so weakened to win without allies. Its candidate Lionel Jospin was supported by the PRG and the MDC. He got in touch with the new PCF leader Robert Hue and the Green candidate Dominique Voynet. Second Round First Round See also: President of France, France, Politics of France Categories: Elections in France | 1995 elections ... Lionel Robert Jospin (born July 12, 1937 in Meudon, a suburb of Paris) is a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997-2002. ... Robert Hue (born October 19, 1946) is a French politician. ... Dominique Voynet Dominique Voynet (born 4 November 1958 in Montbéliard, Doubs département, France) is a French senator for the département of Seine-Saint-Denis, and a member of the The Greens. ...

Indeed, in 1994, Hue succeeded to Georges Marchais at the head of the PCF. The Communist Party had lost the half of its voters since the 1970s. It fallen into disrepute after the split of the European Communist block and the Soviet Union. Hue wanted to renovate the party and to be not isolated. Georges Marchais (June 7, 1920 - November 16, 1997) was the head of the French Communist Party, and a candidate in the French presidential elections of 1981. ...

The Greens, founded in 1984, benefied of the PS crisis at the beginning of the 1990s. However, its leader Antoine Waechter refused to integrate the party in the left/right struggle. Without allies, the Greens can not to have elects and to take responsibilities. In 1993, Voynet replaced Waechter in proposing an alliance with the left.

Jospin lost the second round of the presidential election, but obtained a decent result. The 5 left-wing parties formed a coalition called the "Plural Left". The name was founded by the Socialist politician Jean-Christophe Cambadélis. It meant the PS wanted to respect its allies and not to impose its hegemony, what the other parties reproached it.

Jospin's government

In 1997, President Chirac dissolved the French National Assembly. Much to his surprise, the left won the legislative election. Jospin became Prime minister. Jacques (René) Chirac (born 29 November French politician. ... The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: Assemblée nationale) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ... French legislative election took place in May 25 and June 1, 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. ...

In his government, there are:

• 3 Communists (Jean-Claude Gayssot for the Transport ministry, Marie-George Buffet for the Youth and Sports ministry, Michelle Demessine for the Tourism ministry)
• 1 Green (Dominique Voynet for the Environment ministry)
• 2 Left-wing Radicals (Emile Zuccarelli for the Civil Service ministry, Jacques Dondoux for the External Trade ministry)
• 1 MDC (Jean-Pierre Chevènement for the Interior ministry)

All the other ministers are Socialists. Jean-Claude Gayssot (b. ... Marie-George Buffet (born 7 May 1949 in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French politician, currently the head of the French Communist Party. ... Jean-Pierre Chevènement Jean-Pierre Chevènement (born March 9, 1939 in Belfort) is a French politician. ...

The End

In 2000, Jean-Pierre Chevènement resigned because of his opposition to negociations with the nationalists of Corse. Preparing his candidacy for the 2002 presidential election, he criticized the governmental policy and proposed to rally the "Republicans of the left and the right". This article is about the Mediterranean island. ... The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates (Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen) on 5 May 2002. ...

Futhemore, in 2001, the economic growth slowed down. The Communists and some Greens criticized a so moderate economic policy. The Economy ministers, Dominique Strauss-Kahn then Laurent Fabius, were accused of social liberals because of privatisation of public companies. They claimed no main social reforms were done after the reduction of working time to 35 hours. The parliamentary majority was divided about the law to restrict the dismissals. Dominique Strauss-Kahn (born 25 April 1949 in Neuilly-sur-Seine; often known as DSK) is a French politician, member of the French Socialist Party. ... Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946) is a former Socialist Prime Minister of France. ... Social liberalism is either a synonym for new liberalism or a label used by progressive liberal parties in order to differentiate themselves from the more conservative liberal parties, especially when there are two or more liberal parties in a country. ...

The main theme of the presidential campaign was the insecurity. In contrast to the right, the left-wing coalition was divided about this problem and had not a clear policy. Finally, the disappointed of the "Plural Left" voted for the Troskyst candidates (Arlette Laguiller, Olivier Besancenot, Daniel Gluckstein). Arlette Laguiller (born March 18, 1940) is the spokeswoman and by far the best known leader of the Lutte Ouvrière French Trotskyist political party. ... Oliver Besancenot is a member of the French Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire, the affiliate in France of the United Secretariat of the Fourth International, a world wide Trotskyist tendency. ... Daniel Gluckstein (born March 3, 1953) is a French far-left Trotskyist politician from the Parti des Travailleurs (PT). ...

All the left-wing parties were represented by their candidates. In the first round, Jospin (PS) obtained 16.2%, Chevènement (MDC) 5.3%, Noël Mamère (the Greens) 5.2%, Hue (PCF) 3.4%, Christiane Taubira (PRG) 2.3%. Arriving in third position, Jospin was eliminated and no left-wing candidate entered the secound round. Two months later, the left lost the 2002 legislative elections. Noël Mamère (born December 25, 1948) is a French politician of the French Green Party (Les Verts). ... Christiane Taubira (February 2, 1952, Cayenne, French Guiana -) is a French politician. ... These are the results of the French legislative election of 2002 Category: ...

In consequence, Jospin announced his political retirement. Hue abandoned the head of the PCF. Chevènement failed to rally all the "Republicans" and founded a new left-wing party, the Citizen and Republican Movement (Mouvement républicain et citoyen or MRC). After an attempt to ally with a part of the far-left, the Greens returned finally in the parliamentary left. The Citizen and Republican Movement (Mouvement républicain et citoyen) is a political party in France. ...