^aURMIS, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, France. E-mail: gilles.ivaldi@unice.fr

Abstract

The problem of candidate selection is central to the development of political parties and is a critical feature of France's candidate-centred presidential polity. Reflecting on the political opportunity structure and cleavage basis that arose from the dramatic outcome of the 2002 elections, this paper explores the 2007 presidential nominations of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire and the Parti Socialiste. The focus is on the expected-utility calculus of candidate viability by party members in relation to membership growth and the ascent of mass contingents of 'instant' newcomers in both parties. The analysis points out diverging strategies of presidential communication in Sarkozy and Royal, which enacted two definable symbolic trajectories of ideological revision in their respective camps. These differences are addressed in the light of each candidate's intra-party positioning and their relation to organized factions. This review looks simultaneously at how presidential strategies were articulated with party leadership.