1986 French regional elections

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1986 French regional elections

| country = France

| type = parliamentary

| previous_election =

| previous_year =

| next_election = 1992 French regional elections

| next_year = 1992

| seats_for_election = 26 Regional Presidencies

| election_date = 16 March 1986

| map_image = French regional elections 1986.svg

| map_size =

| map_alt =

| map =

| map_caption = Presidents elected by region

{{legend-col

|{{legend|#0066CC|Rally for the Republic}}

|{{legend|#00FFFF|Union for French Democracy}}

|{{legend|#FF8080|Socialist Party}}

|{{legend|#FFC0C0|Miscellaneous left}}

}}

}}

Regional elections were held in France on 16 March 1986. These were the first regional elections in France. French left-wing parties promised the establishment of regional governments in the 1970s. When the Socialist Party was elected to government in 1981, they implemented territorial reform.{{Cite journal |last=Mazey |first=Sonia |date=1986 |title=The French regional elections of 16 March 1986 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/026137948690017X |journal=Electoral Studies |language=en |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=297–301 |doi=10.1016/0261-3794(86)90017-X |issn=0261-3794}}

At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 régions, which, although lacking legislative autonomy, manage sizeable budgets.

The parliamentary right, led by the conservative Rally for the Republic and the centre-right Union for French Democracy won a landslide, winning 20 of 22 metropolitan regional presidencies. The Socialists only won the Limousin and the Nord-Pas de Calais region.

The election was conducted using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of five percent of valid votes being applied regionally.{{Cite web |title=Chapitre II : Mode de scrutin (Article L338) - Légifrance |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGIARTI000006353941/1985-07-11/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=www.legifrance.gouv.fr}}