Editing Union for a Popular Movement (section)

==Popular support==
The UMP's electoral base reflects that of the old [[Rally for the Republic]] (RPR) and, in some cases, that of the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF). In the 2007 presidential election, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] performed best in the east of France – particularly [[Alsace]] (36.2%); [[Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur]] (37.0%) – the wealthy coastal [[Departments of France|department]] of the [[Alpes-Maritimes]] (43.6%) was his best department in France; [[Champagne-Ardenne]] (32.7%) and [[Rhône-Alpes]] (32.7%). These areas were among [[National Front (France)|National Front]] candidate [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]]'s best regions in 2002 and are conservative on issues such as immigration. Sarkozy received a lot of votes from voters who had supported the far-right in April 2002. For example, in the [[Alpes-Maritimes]], Sarkozy performed 21.6% better than Chirac did in 2002 while Le Pen lost 12.6% in five years.<ref name="ifop">{{cite web|url= http://www.ifop.com/?option=com_publication&type=publication&id=31|title= IFOP analysis|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090711092834/http://www.ifop.com/?option=com_publication&type=publication&id=31|archive-date= 11 July 2009|df= dmy-all}}</ref> Sarkozy also appealed more than average to [[blue-collar]] workers in regions such as northern [[Meurthe-et-Moselle]] and the [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]], although most of these regions, despite his gains, remain reliably left-wing.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://cdsp.sciences-po.fr/AE.php|title= Results|publisher= CDSP website|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://archive.today/20120604090721/http://cdsp.sciences-po.fr/AE.php|archive-date= 4 June 2012|df= dmy-all}}</ref> The party is also strong in every election in very wealthy suburban or coastal (and, in some cases, urban) areas such as [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]] (72.6% for Sarkozy in the first round),<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/053/035/5335.html|title= Ministry of the Interior results page|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090718013732/http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/053/035/5335.html|archive-date= 18 July 2009|df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[Saint-Tropez]] (54.79%),<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/093/083/83119.html|title= Ministry of the Interior results page|url-status= live|archive-url= http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223235757/http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/093/083/83119.html|archive-date= 23 February 2011|df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[Cannes]] (48.19%)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/093/006/06029.html|title= Ministry of the Interior results page|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090309064124/http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/093/006/06029.html|archive-date= 9 March 2009|df= dmy-all}}</ref> or [[Marcq-en-Barœul]] (47.35%).<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/031/059/59378.html|title= Ministry of the Interior results page}}</ref> It is strong in most rural areas, like most conservative parties in the world, but this does not extend to the rural areas of the south of France, areas which are old strongholds of [[republicanism|republican]] and secular ideals. However, in old "clerical" Catholic rural areas, such as parts of [[Lozère]] or [[Cantal]], it is very strong, as was the UDF during its hey day.

However, the UMP does poorly in one of the UDF's best regions, [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], where the decline of religious practice, a moderate electorate and urbanisation has hurt the UMP and also the UDF. Nicolas Sarkozy performed relatively poorly in departments with a large share of moderate Christian democratic (often centrist or centre-right) voters, such as [[Lozère]] where the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist]] candidate [[Ségolène Royal]] performed better (44.3%) than [[François Mitterrand]] had in his 1988 left-wing landslide (43.1%). While former president [[Jacques Chirac]], the right's strongman in normally left-wing [[Corrèze]] had always done very well in Corrèze and the surrounding departments, Sarkozy did very poorly and actually lost the department in the 2007 runoff. However, in the [[2009 European Parliament election in France|2009 European election]], the UMP's results in those departments were superior to Sarkozy's first round result (nationally, they were 4% lower).<ref name="ifop" />