France 1988 legislative election
What was the result of the 1988 legislative election in France?
Socialist Party won 260 of 555 seats with 34.9% of the vote. 66.1% 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 260 of 555 seats with 34.9% of the vote; 66.1% of registered voters cast a ballot, down 12.4 points on 1986.
- Socialist Party 260 +62 seats 34.9% +4.1 points
- Rally for the Republic 123 −23 seats 19.2% +7.7 points
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement 130 +2 seats 18.8% +9.4 points
- French Communist Party 24 −8 seats 11.2% +1.5 points
- National Rally 1 −34 seats 9.8% 0.0 points
- other right 8 +4 seats 2.5% +1.2 points
- Party of Presidential Majority 0 1.5%
- Radical Party of the Left 9 −4 seats 1.2% +0.4 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 1986 legislative election, party by party.
- Socialist Party260
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement130
- Rally for the Republic123
- French Communist Party24
- Radical Party of the Left9
- other right8
- National Rally1
Key numbers
34.9%
Share of the vote won by Socialist Party
Socialist Party won 260 of 555 seats. A majority needs 278.
+62 seats
Seats gained by Socialist Party
The largest gain in seats compared with 1986. National Rally lost 34 seats.
66.1%
Voter turnout
Down 12.4 points on 1986.
Seats and votes by party
| Party | Seats | ± seats | % | ± points | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party | 260 | +62 | 34.9 | +4.1 | 8,381,827 |
| Rally for the Republic | 123 | −23 | 19.2 | +7.7 | 4,614,137 |
| Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement | 130 | +2 | 18.8 | +9.4 | 4,502,712 |
| French Communist Party | 24 | −8 | 11.2 | +1.5 | 2,680,194 |
| National Rally | 1 | −34 | 9.8 | 0.0 | 2,353,466 |
| other right | 8 | +4 | 2.5 | +1.2 | 608,695 |
| Party of Presidential Majority | 0 | 1.5 | 351,257 | ||
| Radical Party of the Left | 9 | −4 | 1.2 | +0.4 | 279,320 |
± is the change against the France 1986 legislative election, party by party.
Votes by party
- Socialist Party 8,381,827
- Rally for the Republic 4,614,137
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement 4,502,712
- French Communist Party 2,680,194
- National Rally 2,353,466
- other right 608,695
- Party of Presidential Majority 351,257
- Radical Party of the Left 279,320
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?
66.1% of the 37,090,454 registered voters cast a ballot (24,526,787 ballots), down 12.4 points on 1986. 23,994,849 of them were valid votes. The lowest turnout of this kind in our data, which begins in 1945.
How do the votes compare with the seats?
- Socialist Party34.9% of votes46.8% of seats
- Union for French Democracy / Democratic Movement18.8% of votes23.4% of seats
- Rally for the Republic19.2% of votes22.2% of seats
- French Communist Party11.2% of votes4.3% of seats
- Radical Party of the Left1.2% of votes1.6% of seats
- other right2.5% of votes1.4% of seats
- National Rally9.8% of votes0.2% of seats
The Gallagher index of disproportionality is 12.6 (0 when seats follow votes exactly); the effective number of parties is 4.6 by votes and 3.1 by seats; Socialist Party led Rally for the Republic by 15.7 points of the vote.
Time and source Data as of