France

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of France

Constitution Constitution Declaration Human rights Fifth Republic Government President Nicolas Sarkozy List Prime Minister François Fillon List Constitutional Council Parliament National Assembly Senate Congress Judiciary Council of State Court of Cassation Constitutional Council of France Political Parties Political parties Gaullism the Left Elections 1958 presidential 1965 presidential 1969 presidential 1973 legislative 1974 presidential 1978 legislative 1981 presidential 1981 legislative 1986 legislative 1988 presidential 1988 legislative 1993 legislative 1995 presidential 1997 legislative 2002 presidential 2002 legislative 2007 presidential 2007 legislative Subdivisions Regions Departments Foreign Policy Politics of the European Union Foreign relations Minister of Foreign Affairs Related issues Political scandals French Portal

Other countries · Atlas  Politics Portal view • talk •

Cantonal elections to elect half the membership of the general councils of France's 100 departments were held on 9 and 16 March 2008. These elections coincided with the municipal elections, in which the left did well.

Electoral system

The cantonal elections use a two-round system similar to that employed in the country's legislative elections.

• Councillors are elected from single-member constituencies (the cantons).
• A candidate securing the votes of at least 25% of the canton's registered voters and more than 50% of the total number of votes actually cast in the first round of voting is thereby elected. If no candidate satisfies these conditions, then a second round of voting is held one week later.
• Entitled to present themselves in the second round are the two candidates who received the highest number of votes in the first round, plus any other candidate or candidates who received the votes of at least 10% of those registered to vote in the canton.
• In the second round, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes is elected.

Change in control

Map showing the political affiliations of general council presidencies in the departments of metropolitan France following the cantonal elections of 2008

From right to left

• Ain (PS)
• Allier (PCF)
• Corrèze (PS)
• Indre-et-Loire (PS)
• Lot-et-Garonne (PS)
• Deux-Sèvres (PS)
• Somme (PS)
• Val-d'Oise (PS)

From PCF to PS

• Seine-Saint-Denis

From PRG to PS

• Hautes-Pyrénées

From centre to right

• Pyrénées-Atlantiques (UMP)

From left to right

• Hautes-Alpes (UMP)
• Mayotte (UMP)

From UMP to NC

• Côte-d'Or

From UMP to DVD

• Jura

Notable new general council presidents

• François Hollande, first secretary of the PS elected in Corrèze
• Arnaud Montebourg, PS deputy elected in Saone-et-Loire
• Hervé Gaymard, former UMP minister elected in Savoie
• Dominique Bussereau, former UMP minister elected in Charente-Maritime
• Claude Bartolone, PS deputy elected in Seine-Saint-Denis

Notable new councillors

• Jean Sarkozy, son of President Nicolas Sarkozy, elected in Neuilly-Sud (Hauts-de-Seine) as the UMP candidate

National results

Sources

Ministry of the Interior results

v • d • e  French regional elections 1986 · 1992 · 1998 · 2004  French cantonal elections 1961 · 1964 · 1967 · 1970 · 1973 · 1976 · 1979 · 1982 · 1985 · 1988 · 1992 · 1994 · 1998 · 2001 · 2004 · 2008  French municipal elections 1959 · 1965 · 1971 · 1977 · 1983 · 1989 · 1995 · 2001 · 2008