Democratic Centre (France)

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Democratic Centre (Centre Démocrate, CD) was a French Christian-democratic and centrist political party. It existed from 1966 to 1976. Its long-time leader was Jean Lecanuet.

Formation and aims
The CD was created on February 2, 1966, from the merger of two groups: the Christian-democratic Popular Republican Movement (MRP) and the liberal National Center of Independents and Peasants (CNIP). The party aimed to be a “third way” between the left (seen as Marxist and anticlerical) and Gaullism.

Key events and splits
- Before the 1967 elections, some Christian Democrats left to join Gaullists. In 1968, CNIP also left the CD.
- In 1969, the CD urged a “no” vote on regionalization and Senate reform, a stance that coincided with President de Gaulle’s resignation.
- In the 1969 presidential election, the CD supported Alain Poher, who reached the second round but lost to Georges Pompidou.
- Some centrists joined the Gaullist majority and helped form Centre, Democracy and Progress (CDP).
- By the early 1970s, two centrist currents existed: the CDP in government and the Democratic Centre in opposition.
- In 1972, the CD allied with the Radical Party to form the Reform Movement. For the 1973 elections, the CD reached electoral agreements with the presidential majority due to the two-round system.
- In 1974, the CD supported Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and joined the presidential majority.

Merge and aftermath
On May 23, 1976, the Democratic Centre merged with the CDP to create the Centre of Social Democrats (CDS). The CDS later joined Giscard d’Estaing’s new Union for French Democracy (UDF) in 1978.