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| | Election Name | French presidential election, 1981 |
| Country | France |
| Type | presidential |
| Ongoing | no |
| Previous Election | French presidential election, 1974 |
| Previous Year | 1974 |
| Next Election | French presidential election, 1988 |
| Next Year | 1988 |
| Election Date | 26 April and 10 May 1981 |
| Candidate1 | François Mitterrand |
| Party1 | Socialist Party (France) |
| Popular Vote1 | 15,708,262 |
| Percentage1 | 51.76% |
| Candidate2 | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
| Party2 | Union for French Democracy |
| Popular Vote2 | 14,642,306 |
| Percentage2 | 48.24% |
| Map Image | French presidential election result map second round 1981.svg |
| Map Size | 250px |
| Map Caption | Results of the second round: the candidate with the plurality of votes in each administrative division. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing: blue; François Mitterrand: pink |
| Title | President |
| Before Election | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
| Before Party | Union for French Democracy |
| After Election | François Mitterrand |
| After Party | Socialist Party (France) |
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The French presidential election of 1981 took place on 10 May 1981, giving the presidency of France to François Mitterrand, the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic.
In the first round of voting on 26 April 1981, a political spectrum of ten candidates stood for election, and the leading two candidates � Mitterrand and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing � advanced to a second round. Mitterrand and his Socialist Party received approximately 52% of the vote, while Giscard and his Union for French Democracy trailed with about 48%, a margin of 1,065,956 votes.
The Socialist Party's electoral program was called 110 Propositions for France. Mitterrand served as President of France for the full seven-year term (1981 � 1988) and won re-election in 1988.
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French presidential election, 1981 Video
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