President
France elections · 1981-04-26 · held
National popular-vote presidential election. The top two candidates advanced to the runoff.
Results: final · complete coverage · Valid votes (29,038,117); first round
Turnout: 81.09%
| Party / candidate | Votes | Vote share | Seats | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | 8222432 | 28.32% | — | — |
| François Mitterrand | 7505960 | 25.85% | — | — |
| Jacques Chirac | 5225848 | 18% | — | — |
| Georges Marchais | 4456922 | 15.35% | — | — |
| Brice Lalonde | 1126254 | 3.88% | — | — |
| Arlette Laguiller | 668057 | 2.3% | — | — |
| Michel Crépeau | 642847 | 2.21% | — | — |
| Michel Debré | 481821 | 1.66% | — | — |
| Marie-France Garaud | 386623 | 1.33% | — | — |
| Huguette Bouchardeau | 321353 | 1.11% | — | — |
Sources & further reading
Historical results and cited source bibliography