in the French election campaign .
She was the fifth candidate on the Defence of France ’ s interests in Europe ( DIFE ) list , which was led by Jacques Chirac , and during the campaign she refused to challenge Simone Veil , who headed the competing list of President Valéry Giscard d ’ Estaing ’ s UDF party .
However , the competitive tension between the names on both lists was evident . After Jacques Chirac made his ‘ appeal to the French people ’ at Cochin Hospital on 6 December 1978 , the position of the Rally for the Republic ( RPR ) party became increasingly anti-Europe , and ‘ the list essentially brought together Gaullists known for their anti-European views – with the notable exception of Louise Weiss – and most of whom were national and local elected representatives ’ 9 . That list contained fewer women than the other four major lists ( 12 women out of 81 candidates ). Is it therefore possible to speak of a ‘ Louise Weiss smokescreen ’ 10 ? Jacques Chirac had , indeed , promised her , that she would ‘ be our First Lady ’! The complexity of this situation was reflected in the few statements that Louise Weiss made during the election campaign .
One year later , these first elections would be considered second-order elections 11 , that is , unusual elections with minor effects , no real issues at stake and a strong national focus , as well as very high abstention rates and a general lack of a European dimension . Nevertheless , the debate was at its fiercest and most intense in France . There were clear lines of opposition between
9 . J . Pozzi , ‘ La famille gaulliste et les élections européennes de juin 1979 ’, Cahiers IRICE 2009 / 2 , No 4 .
10 . Y . Denéchère , ‘ Louise Weiss et quelques autres : candidates et élues gaullistes au Parlement européen ( 1979-1989 )’, Histoire @ Politique , 2012 / 2 , No 17 .
11 . K . Reif and H . Schmitt , ‘ Nine second-order national elections : a conceptual framework for the analysis of European elections results ’, European Journal of Political Research , Vol . 8 , March 1980 , No 1 .
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