WI: Jacques Delors becomes president of the French Republic in 1995

[Hendryk]

In homage to Jacques Delors, who passed away today aged 98, I would like to explore a WI that I have long wondered about: back during the "second cohabitation" of the Balladur premiership, Delors, whose mandate as president of the European Commission had just ended, was widely expected to step in as the Socialist Party's candidate for the 1995 presidential elections. After months of speculation, he eventually declined the job.

So the first question is, what POD would be most likely to get him to run? And the second one is, what would have been the consequences for French and EU politics?

 

[OwenM]

Idk how he could be persuaded to run, but I feel like the immediate questions on the second are whether Emannuelli and Jospin still do and if he's nominated does he do better or worse than Jospin?
@Redolegna ?

 

[Hendryk]

Idk how he could be persuaded to run, but I feel like the immediate questions on the second are whether Emannuelli and Jospin still do and if he's nominated does he do better or worse than Jospin?

1995 was the first presidential election I got to vote in, but as I was studying in the UK at the time and internet was barely a thing, I didn't pay all that much attention to the intraparty aspects of it. I got the impression back then that Jospin stepped in half-heartedly. Now Emmanuelli was from a different Socialist faction than Delors, yet he was the one who asked him to run as the PS candidate.

 

[Yokai Man]

1995 was the first presidential election I got to vote in, but as I was studying in the UK at the time and internet was barely a thing, I didn't pay all that much attention to the intraparty aspects of it. I got the impression back then that Jospin stepped in half-heartedly. Now Emmanuelli was from a different Socialist faction than Delors, yet he was the one who asked him to run as the PS candidate.

Why does Jospin have an ear ring?

 

[Hendryk]

Why does Jospin have an ear ring?

Ah no, that's Balladur with Chirac. Plantu drew him with a cadogan as a running joke.

 

[Yokai Man]

Ah no, that's Balladur with Chirac. Plantu drew him with a cadogan as a running joke.

Tbf he and Jospin look a lot alike.