1887 French presidential election

Presidential elections were held in France on 3 December 1887, to elect the fourth president of the Third French Republic. The elections were triggered by the resignation of President Jules Grevy.

1887 French presidential election

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Candidate Sadi Carnot Félix Gustave Saussier
Electoral vote 616 188
Percentage 74.49% 22.73%

President before election

Jules Grevy

President after election

Sadi Carnot

Background

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The election was triggered by the resignation of President Grevy, which resulted from the decorations scandal of 1887. This scandal forced Prime Minister Maurice Rouvier into resignation, with no other figure agreeing to be appointed by Grevy as the next prime minister. This caused a government crisis which forced Grevy to resign. The French National Assembly met for a joint sitting on December 3 to elect a new president.[1]

Election

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Jules Ferry, the former prime minister, was initially seen as the front-runner in the race due to his name recognition and experience, but the more-left wing Republicans disliked him. The Radicals within the Assembly, led by Georges Clemenceau, backed an outsider in the form of former Finance Minister Sadi Carnot.[2]

Conservative Monarchists within the assembly rallied behind General Félix Gustave Saussier.

On the first ballot, Carnot came in first with 303 votes (35.69%) while Ferry came in second place with just 212 (24.97%). Both had come short of the majority needed.[3] Seeing he had been outflanked, Ferry withdrew from the race and Carnot was easily elected president on the second ballot with 616 votes (74.49%)

Results

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CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Sadi CarnotUnion of the Lefts30335.6961674.49
Jules FerryDemocratic Union21224.97111.33
Félix Gustave Saussier [fr]Military14817.4318822.73
Charles de FreycinetModerate Republicans768.9550.60
Félix Antoine AppertModerate Republicans728.4850.60
Henri BrissonRepublican Union263.06
Charles FloquetRadical Left50.5910.12
Anatole de La ForgeRadical Left20.24
Félix PyatFar-left20.2410.12
Louis PasteurIndependent20.24
Eugène SpullerModerate Republicans10.12
Total849100.00827100.00
Valid votes84999.6582798.22
Invalid/blank votes30.35151.78
Total votes852100.00842100.00
Registered voters/turnout852100.00842100.00
Source: MJP[4] Journal officiel[5]

References

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  1. ^ Vincent Duclert, "La République imaginée (1870-1914)"(2014): 326-327.
  2. ^ Frédéric Salmon, "Atlas électoral de la France (1848-2001)"(2001)
  3. ^ Charles Sowerwine, "France since 1870"(2018): 29-30.
  4. ^ "1887, Troisième République, France, Élection président de la République, MJP". Digithèque de matériaux juridiques et politiques (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et décrets". Journal officiel de la République française (in French). Paris. 4 December 1887. p. 5350.