Address by François Mitterrand, two days after the second round of the 1988 parliamentary elections following the dissolution of the National Assembly. With this decision the President of the Republic wanted to put an end to cohabitation and strengthen his political majority. The results did not give the PS and its allies an absolute majority. He says: "Even relative, the parliamentary majority exists, it is strong, it is coherent, it will last".
On the eve of the second round of the presidential election, debate between the candidates Valéry GISCARD D'ESTAING and François MITTERRAND. Small sentence of the socialist candidate addressed to his political opponent: 'Of course, when I talk about unemployment, about the need to fight for employment, I hear a number of comments that are a little growling, unhappy and sometimes professorial. I sometimes have a bit of fun (forgive this expression) thinking that Mr. Giscard d'Estaing’s situation is a bit like that of a driver who just poured his car into the ditch and would come and ask me, to keep an eye on me, to iron my driver’s license. The truth is that there is a policy of the past, the policy that is now ending in 1981. There is another possible policy: one that I have been developing for several years, especially in the last two months, where I have said everywhere what I would do if I were elected President of the Republic."
Presidential elections: during the meeting held in Marseilles, François MITTERRAND affirmed his confidence in the victory and called to the rally. The commentary on images of the room before the speech and the arrival of MITTERRAND is followed by excerpts from his speech which he begins with "My friends, we will win."
Report of the extraordinary Congress of the Socialist Party in Créteil, during which François MITTERRAND was nominated candidate in the presidential election. Pierre JOXE in the forum states the results: this is the official inauguration of Mitterrand. The latter rose, very applauded by the hall and the leaders including Lionel Jospin, Gaston Defferre, Pierre Mauroy, Michel Rocard and Jean-Pierre Chevènement. Comment on pictures of the congress.
Who will be the candidate of the Socialist Party in the presidential election? Report to the PS steering committee where, one after the other, François MITTERRAND and Michel ROCARD make a highly publicized arrival. On images of the meeting of the steering committee led by Louis MERMAZ, Bruno MASURE read off the letters of the two candidates. The report ends with a tray in Bruno MASURE’s situation explaining that Michel ROCARD, as he had committed to during the Metz congress, withdraws his candidacy for the benefit of François MITTERRAND.
Report on the night of the first round of presidential elections: comment on images of the evening at the headquarters of the Socialist Party and in Château-Chinon, where François Mitterrand was to vote.
Announcement of the results of the first round of the presidential elections (Sofres estimate): Valéry Giscard d'Estaing collects 28.3% of the votes, François Mitterrand 25.2%, Jacques Chirac 17.9%, Georges marchais 16,5%. Next are Brice Lalonde, Arlette Laguiller, Michel Crépeau, Michel Debré, Marie-France Garaud and Huguette Bouchardeau.
Report without comment of the election evening at the headquarters of the Socialist Party: after the announcement of the results on television, the activists let their joy burst. Among them is the actress Annie Girardot.
Investiture de François Mitterrand: commentaire sur les images de Mitterrand quittant la rue de Bièvre, du cortège se rendre à l'Elysée, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing welcoming the new president and guests arriving to attend the change of authority ceremony.
Report on the election night of the second round of the presidential elections in Château-Chinon. The comment on images of the announcement of the results and François and Danielle MITTERRAND at the balcony of the Morvan hotel is followed by the speech of MITTERRAND.
Inaugural ceremony of François MITTERRAND. The president goes up Soufflot Street to the Pantheon where he enters alone, a rose in his hand. The orchestra of Paris, directed by Daniel Barenboïm, interprets "L'hymne à la joie".
On the eve of the second round of the presidential election, debate between the candidates Valéry GISCARD D'ESTAING and François MITTERRAND. Little sentence of the socialist candidate addressed to his political opponent: "You do not want to talk about the past, I understand, naturally and you tend to repeat the refrain of 7 years ago 'the man of the past'. It’s still boring that in the meantime you’ve become the man of the passive. That bothers you a little bit today. You criticized me for having exercised a ministry of speech, but I was in opposition and I fulfilled my role democratically. And this is not nothing the opposition in a Republic. I should add that I used that time to do with others a great party that has become threatening to the almost ancient majority that you represent today. If I could do tomorrow for France, in the measure of France, what I did for socialism, it would not be lost."
Jean-Pierre ELKABBACH and Etienne MOUGEOTTE announce live the result of the second round of the 1981 presidential election: electronic portrait displaying the face of François MITTERRAND, elected President of the Republic.
Inauguration of François Mitterrand: comment on images of the new president leaving the Elysée in his presidential car and going up the Champs-Elysées to lay a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.. He then shakes hands with the personalities present (Mario Suares, Willy Brandt and Madame Allende) and signs the Golden Book of the Arc de Triomphe.
Extract from the statement of François MITTERRAND, who came second in the first round of the presidential elections. He thanked his constituents and urged them to continue the fight by bringing together the voters of the left.
Reportage in Paris, Place de la Bastille, where socialist activists gathered this night to celebrate François Mitterrand’s victory in the presidential elections. The commentary on images of the cheering crowd, dancing, and musicians alternate with the testimony of an activist.
Second round of the presidential election: the two candidates each voted in their constituencies in the midst of an enthusiastic crowd and the flashes of photographers. Commentary on images of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing dropping his ballot at the town hall of Chanonat, together with his wife, and François Mitterrand in Château-Chinon, where he voted twice, on his behalf and for an elderly person.
As usual, François MITTERRAND ended his election campaign with a meeting in Toulouse in a packed stadium. The commentary on images of the crowd in the stands is followed by an excerpt from MITTERRAND’s speech in which he states: "I am a free man." and concluded "See you soon for victory". The subject ends with the images of an activist translating the speech for the hearing impaired, which is a novelty, and members of the PS applauding MITTERRAND (broadcast of "The international" in the room).
Four days after his election, François MITTERRAND received the members of his various support committees. The comment on images of the reception with many personalities among which Françoise Sagan, Dalida, Gérard Depardieu, Annie Duperey, Edmonde CharlesRoux or Marie-Paule Belle is followed by an excerpt from François MITTERRAND’s speech.
The INA Galaxy 
