France 1986 legislative election
What was the result of the 1986 legislative election in France?
Socialist Party won 198 of 556 seats with 30.8% of the vote. 78.5% of registered voters cast a ballot.
France- Held:
- Final result
- ParlGov, read 5 October 2026
Which party won the most seats?
Final results from ParlGov, read : Socialist Party won 198 of 556 seats with 30.8% of the vote; 78.5% of registered voters cast a ballot, up 7.6 points on 1981.
- Socialist Party 198 −70 seats 30.8% −5.2 points
- RPR/UDF connected list 0 20.8%
- Rally for the Republic 146 +66 seats 11.5% −9.2 points
- National Rally 35 9.8%
- French Communist Party 32 −11 seats 9.7% −6.4 points
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement 128 +69 seats 9.4% +7.2 points
- other right 4 1.3%
- The Greens 0 0 seats 1.2% +0.1 points
- Radical Party of the Left 13 −1 seat 0.8% −0.3 points
- Seats won
- Change on the previous election at the right
- Share of the vote
- Share at the previous election
- Change in points at the right
Changes are against the France 1981 legislative election, party by party.
- Socialist Party198
- Rally for the Republic146
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement128
- National Rally35
- French Communist Party32
- Radical Party of the Left13
- other right4
Key numbers
30.8%
Share of the vote won by Socialist Party
Socialist Party won 198 of 556 seats. A majority needs 279.
+69 seats
Seats gained by Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement
The largest gain in seats compared with 1981. Socialist Party lost 70 seats.
78.5%
Voter turnout
Up 7.6 points on 1981.
Seats and votes by party
| Party | Seats | ± seats | % | ± points | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party | 198 | −70 | 30.8 | −5.2 | 8,477,883 |
| RPR/UDF connected list | 0 | 20.8 | 5,723,175 | ||
| Rally for the Republic | 146 | +66 | 11.5 | −9.2 | 3,153,522 |
| National Rally | 35 | 9.8 | 2,701,701 | ||
| French Communist Party | 32 | −11 | 9.7 | −6.4 | 2,663,259 |
| Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement | 128 | +69 | 9.4 | +7.2 | 2,580,121 |
| other right | 4 | 1.3 | 365,883 | ||
| The Greens | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | +0.1 | 341,239 |
| Radical Party of the Left | 13 | −1 | 0.8 | −0.3 | 210,151 |
± is the change against the France 1981 legislative election, party by party.
Votes by party
- Socialist Party 8,477,883
- RPR/UDF connected list 5,723,175
- Rally for the Republic 3,153,522
- National Rally 2,701,701
- French Communist Party 2,663,259
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement 2,580,121
- other right 365,883
- The Greens 341,239
- Radical Party of the Left 210,151
ParlGov lists parties with at least 1 percent of the vote or 2 seats, so the rows do not add up to the valid votes.
For France ParlGov gives the first round's votes and the seats after the second round.
How many people voted?
78.5% of the 36,614,738 registered voters cast a ballot (28,736,080 ballots), up 7.6 points on 1981. 27,490,874 of them were valid votes.
How do the votes compare with the seats?
- Socialist Party30.8% of votes35.6% of seats
- Rally for the Republic11.5% of votes26.3% of seats
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement9.4% of votes23.0% of seats
- National Rally9.8% of votes6.3% of seats
- French Communist Party9.7% of votes5.8% of seats
- Radical Party of the Left0.8% of votes2.3% of seats
- other right1.3% of votes0.7% of seats
- RPR/UDF connected list20.8% of votes0.0% of seats
The Gallagher index of disproportionality is 21.1 (0 when seats follow votes exactly); the effective number of parties is 5.6 by votes and 3.9 by seats; Socialist Party led RPR/UDF connected list by 10.0 points of the vote.
Time and source Data as of