Martine Aubry

Six weeks of exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Lionel Jospin's 2002 presidential campaign, from the strategy rooms to the night everything collapsed. A gripping inside account of France's most shocking political upset.

Faced with President François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac embodied the opposition. In 1986, the right won the legislative elections and he became Prime Minister. After two years of tough cohabitation, François Mitterrand was re-elected in 1988. After a moment of despondency, the Chirac machine started up again. During the referendum on Maastricht, he took a position for the "yes", against the vast majority of his party. In March 1993, the opposition led by Chirac won a crushing victory. Edouard Balladur became Prime Minister. In 1995, Jacques Chirac was elected President of the Republic: thirty years of political life found their fulfillment.