Manche's 1st constituency

The 1st constituency of Manche is a French legislative constituency in the Manche département. Like the other 576 French constituencies, it elects one MP using the two-round system, with a run-off if no candidate receives over 50% of the vote in the first round.

Deputies
Manche's 1st constituency has existed since 1958 and has always comprised the central-eastern part of the department, centered on Saint-Lô, Manche prefecture. The seat for this constituency has always been filled by centre-right or right-wing politicians.

For its first election in 1958, the victorious candidate is Gabriel de Carville, a former military and general councillor for the canton of Marigny. A member of the right-wing National Centre of Independents and Peasants, he is however defeated in the first round in 1962 by another right-wing candidate, Constant Lepourry, a member of the Union for the New Republic, supporting Charles de Gaulle. In 1967, Lepourry, in turn, is also defeated when running for reelection. Raymond Guilbert, another De Gaulle supporter, defeats him and is reelected in 1968.

In 1973, Jean-Marie Daillet, who was a candidate during both 1967 and 1968 elections, wins the constituency's seat. He is a member of the Democratic Centre. Daillet is a vocal critic of the Veil Act on the decriminalization of abortion, when it is debated in 1975. Daillet joins the UDF in 1978. He is widely reelected in 1978 and, in the first round, in 1981. The constituency is briefly abolished in 1986 but is reinstated with its boundaries unchanged for the 1988 election. Daillet is reelected for what would be his last term.

The 1993 legislative election is a national victory for the right-wing parties. In Manche's 1st constituency where Daillet is retiring, the top two candidates are both right-wing. From Daillet's party, the UDF candidate is Georges de La Loyère, from Montreuil-sur-Lozon, and Jean-Claude Lemoine, from the RPR. Lemoine, who is also a vice-president of the general council, is elected. He is widely reelected in 1997 and 2002. He does not run in 2007, and would pass away a few months after the election.

Philippe Gosselin, the former Lemoine substitute and mayor of Remilly-sur-Lozon, is the main right-wing candidate for the UMP in 2007. He is elected with a healthy margin. 2012 marks the best score for a left-wing candidate in the whole history of the constituency. Christine Le Coz, the socialist general councillor for the canton of Saint-Lô-East, reaches almost 47.5 % of the vote during the second round. It is however not enough to prevent Gosselin from being reelected. Gosselin is one of the main parliamentary opponents to the Law 2013-404 opening marriage to same-sex couples in France. In 2017, Gosselin is reelected with a similar margin to that of 2012, against the En Marche ! candidate. However, Gosselin gets his fourth mandate in 2022 on a wide margin, exceeding 68% of the vote, opposed to a green candidate, supported by the left-wing NUPES alliance.

Sources and References

 * French Interior Ministry results website: