The Information Society and Democratic Process

The Information Society and Democratic Process: A Take on the French Elections

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This lecture was given by Véronique Kleck at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University on April 10, 2007, two weeks before the first round of the 2007 French presidential elections.

A podcast of the event is available here.

Some Main Points of the Lecture

Putting the French Elections of 2007 into Context

• In the past five years, the French electorate has faced three main crises that have had an important impact on French society in general:
  • The success of Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first turn of the 2002 presidential elections
  • Saying "No" to Europe: rejecting the European constitution in the 2005 referendum
  • A young population with no future in France, problems with joblessness --exemplified by the riots and widespread civil unrest that took place in late 2005
• 53% of French people believe that their institutional system does not work
• Concerns regarding joblessness
• Uncertainty: the number of people still unsure two weeks before the elections had never been higher
• Traditional media was challenged by online material