Jacques Chirac (left) and Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Chirac's conservatives seize power

President Jacques Chirac's mainstream conservatives took control of the National Assembly in parliamentary elections, trouncing both the mainstream left and far right. Chirac's right-wing coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority, won 354 of the 577 parliamentary seats -- meaning Chirac can leave behind years of "cohabitation" with the left and seize full power for the next five years. The far-right National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen, whom Chirac defeated by a landslide in the presidential race, failed to win a seat in parliament.

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