What is 1981 French presidential election?
{{Infobox election | election_name = 1981 French presidential election | country = France | type = presidential | ongoing = no | previous_election = 1974 French presidential election | previous_year = 1974 | next_election = 1988 French presidential election | next_year = 1988 | election_date = 26 April 1981 (first round)<br />10 May 1981 (second round) | image1 = [[File:François Mitterrand avril 1981.jpg|200x200px]] | candidate1 = '''[[François Mitterrand]]''' | party1 = Socialist Party (France) | popular_vote1 = '''15,708,262''' | percentage1 = '''51.8%''' | image2 = [[File:Valéry Giscard d’Estaing 1978(3).jpg|200x200px]] | candidate2 = [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] | party2 = Union for French Democracy | popular_vote2 = 14,642,306 | percentage2 = 48.2% |map_image = French presidential election result map second round 1981.svg |map_size = 250px |map_caption = Results of the second round: the candidate with the plurality of votes in each administrative division. {{legend|#FF69B4|François Mitterrand}}{{legend|#4169E1|Valéry Giscard d'Estaing}} | title = President | before_election = [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] | before_party = Union for French Democracy | after_election = [[François Mitterrand]] | after_party = Socialist Party (France) }} The '''[[Presidential elections in France|French presidential election]] of 1981''' took place on 10 May 1981, giving the presidency of France to [[François Mitterrand]], the first Socialist president of the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Mitterrand Beats Giscard; Socialist Victory Reverses Trend of 23 Years in France |first=Richard |last=Eder |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/11/world/mitterrand-beats-giscard-socialist-victory-reverses-trend-of-23-years-in-france.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 May 1981 |page=1 |access-date=