Editing Jacques Chirac (section)

=== Crossing the desert: 1988–1995 ===
Chirac ran against Mitterrand for a second time in the [[1988 French presidential election|1988 election]]. He obtained 20 per cent of the vote in the first round but lost the second with only 46 per cent. He resigned from the cabinet and the right lost the [[1988 French legislative election|next legislative election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacques Chirac obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/26/jacques-chirac-obituary |website=The Guardian |access-date=24 March 2020 |language=en |date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=14 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214144946/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/26/jacques-chirac-obituary |url-status=live }}</ref>

For the first time, his leadership over the RPR was challenged. [[Charles Pasqua]] and [[Philippe Séguin]] criticised his abandonment of Gaullist doctrines. On the right, a new generation of politicians, the "renovation men", accused Chirac and Giscard of being responsible for the electoral defeats. In 1992, convinced a candidate could not become president whilst advocating anti-European policies, he called for a "yes" vote in the referendum on the [[Maastricht Treaty]], against the opinion of Pasqua, Séguin and a majority of the RPR voters, who chose to vote "no".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Appleton |first1=Andrew |title=Maastricht and the French Party System: Domestic Implications of the Treaty Referendum |journal=French Politics and Society |year=1992 |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=1–18 |jstor=42844330 |issn=0882-1267}}</ref>

While he still was mayor of Paris (since 1977),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clarity |first1=James F. |last2=Tagliabue |first2=John |title=Jacques Chirac, Who Led France Envisioning European Unity, Is Dead at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=24 March 2020 |date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=26 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926102008/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Chirac went to [[Abidjan]] ({{lang|fr|Côte d'Ivoire}}{{--)}} where he supported [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny|President Houphouët-Boigny]] (1960–1993), although the latter was being called a "thief" by the local population. Chirac then declared that [[multiparty democracy|multipartism]] was a "kind of luxury".<ref name="Smith"/>

Nevertheless, the right won the [[1993 French legislative election|1993 legislative election]]. Chirac announced that he did not want to come back as prime minister as his previous term had ended with his unsuccessful run for the presidency against Mitterrand who was still president at this point.

Chirac instead suggested the appointment of [[Edouard Balladur]], who had promised that he would not run for the presidency against Chirac in 1995. However, benefiting from positive polls, Balladur decided to be a presidential candidate, with the support of a majority of right-wing politicians. Balladur broke from Chirac along with a number of friends and allies, including Charles Pasqua, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], etc., who supported his candidacy. A small group of {{lang|fr|fidels}} would remain with Chirac, including [[Alain Juppé]] and [[Jean-Louis Debré]]. When Nicolas Sarkozy became president in 2007, Juppé was one of the few {{lang|fr|chiraquiens}} to serve in François Fillon's government.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rotella |first1=Sebastian |last2=Sicakyuz |first2=Achrene |title=Sarkozy's team is small in size, wide in scope |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-france19-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=24 March 2020 |date=19 May 2007 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155235/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-france19-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>