New trends in French political communication: the 1995 presidential elections

Abstract

In France, political communication has always been extensively framed by a very strict pattern of rules and regulations, which has made campaigning quite distinctive in character. A new law, adopted on 15 January 1990, made any kind of paid advertising illegal during the three months before national election days. This article examines how, during the presidential elections in 1995, the new law considerably influenced political campaigning techniques by forcing politicians to come back to `classical' campaigning (for example, public meetings), while public opinion surveys also set the terms of the `political offer' much more than is usual. At the same time, two other shifts were noticeable — the `primary system' made its first appearance in the two main parties and Jacques Chirac's schematic electoral message, denouncing `La Fracture sociale', could be seen as a further triumph in politics of the `Unique Selling Proposition' and a North American-style campaign approach.