Union for French Democracy

The Union for French Democracy (French: Union pour la démocratie française [ynjɔ̃ puʁ la demɔkʁasi fʁɑ̃sɛːz]; UDF) was a centre-right political party in France. The UDF was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the French centre-right. The UDF took its name from Giscard's 1976 book, Démocratie française.

The founding parties of the UDF were Giscard's Republican Party (PR), the Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the Radical Party (Rad), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Perspectives and Realities Clubs (CPR). The UDF was most frequently a junior partner in coalitions with the neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR). In 1998 the UDF became a single entity, causing the defection of Liberal Democracy (DL), PR's successor. In 2002 the RPR, DL and most of the remaining UDF members joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), which aimed to unite the entire centre-right. The UDF effectively ceased to exist by the end of 2007 and its membership and assets were transferred to its successor, the Democratic Movement (MoDem). The UDF's last president and MoDem's founding leader was François Bayrou.

In the 1974 presidential election, defying expectations, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, leader of the Independent Republicans, was elected President of France by overcoming Jacques Chaban-Delmas of the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), the largest centre-right party, in the first round and defeating François Mitterrand in the run-off. Two years later, Prime Minister Jacques Chirac (UDR) resigned and launched the Rally for the Republic (RPR), in order to restore the Gaullist domination over the centre-right. The RPR would represent the right-wing of the presidential majority and would criticise with virulence the policies put forward by President Giscard and Prime Minister Raymond Barre.

In the run-up of the 1978 legislative election, during a speech in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, Giscard noted that the political leanings of the French people were divided among four groups: the Communist Party (PCF), the Socialist Party (PS), the neo-Gaullist RPR and his own camp, which lacked a cohesive representation. Therefore, he sought to formally organise the centrist side of the presidential majority through the UDF. It consisted of the conservative-liberal Republican Party (PR) – the evolution of Giscard's Independent Republicans –, the Christian-democratic Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the liberal Radical Party (Rad), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Perspectives and Realities Clubs (CPR). Contrary to the RPR, the UDF advocated less market interventionism by the state, decentralisation and support of local authorities, and a strong commitment towards the building of a federal Europe. According to historian René Rémond, the UDF descended from the Orleanist tradition of the right, whereas the RPR was a reincarnation of the Bonapartist tradition, which promoted national independence by virtue of a strong state.

After the centre-right won the 1978 legislative election and the subsequent focus of both the RPR and the UDF toward the 1981 presidential election, their relations deteriorated. Especially, RPR leader Chirac criticised the market-oriented and pro-European policies of Giscard and Barre. In the run-up of the 1979 European Parliament election, Chirac published the Call of Cochin where the UDF was accused of being "the party of foreigners". Since the UDF list, led by Simone Veil, obtained 27.1% of the vote compared with RPR's 16.3%, the quarrels between the two parties and the rivalry between Giscard and Chirac contributed to the defeat of the incumbent president who ran for a second term.

After the election of Mitterrand as president, the two centre-right parties reconciled. Gradually, the RPR abandoned Gaullist doctrine and joined the market-oriented and pro-European positions of the UDF. Although they presented a common list at the 1984 European Parliament election, their leaders Chirac and Barre still competed for the leadership of the French centre-right. Focused on winning the 1986 legislative election, Chirac, unlike Barre, accepted the principle of "cohabitation" with President Mitterrand. Furthermore, some UDF politicians (notably from the PR) covertly supported Chirac. Consequently, he served as Prime Minister from 1986 to 1988 and the UDF played a supporting role in his government.

Barre was a candidate in the 1988 presidential election, yet, despite his popularity, he was not supported by all UDF leaders. Giscard himself refused to choose clearly and publicly between his two former Prime Ministers. Eliminated in the first round, Barre called on his supporters to vote for Chirac in the second round, but despite this, Chirac was defeated by Mitterrand. After the re-election of Mitterrand, some UDF members participated as ministers in the centre-left governments led by Prime Minister Michel Rocard.

Also in 1988 Giscard retook the leadership of the UDF. However, his authority and that of the other centre-right leaders (Chirac, Barre etc.) were contested by a new generation of politicians called the "renovation men", who accused the old guard leadership of bearing responsibility for the successive electoral defeats. However, Giscard would give the party a more consistent centre-right approach, that would culminate in the entire UDF joining the European People's Party (EPP), which had been previously home only of the Christian-democratic CDS, in 1994.