WI Giscard wins a second term in '81?

IOTL he apparently lost due to a sluggish economy, and in the end, Chirac's refusal to endorse VGE led to vote splitting and Mitterrand's victory. WI Chirac had endorsed VGE and Giscard beat Mitterrand? French domestic butterflies? EEC butterflies? Would Giscard run in '88?
 
There is NO WAY Chirac would have helped Giscard to win a second term - he had everything to lose and nothing to gain. Plus he hated the guy (and still does!). So, in order for Giscard to get re-elected, Chirac would need to be taken out of the picture (he had a car accident in 79 - it could have been fatal, but he was only injured).

This being said, Giscard went out of his way to make himself unbearable (not unlike Sarkozy nowadays), so even without Chirac, Mitterrand would have been tough to beat in 1981. If Mitterrand is taken out of the picture, then Michel Rocard would be the likely Socialist candidate. It's very difficult to predict the result of a Giscard-Rocard confrontation. Rocard was more acceptable to the moderates, but could have had a problem with the Communist votes on the second ballot.

Giscard victory in 1981:

- Capital punishment remains
- No difference with OTL in terms of European policy
- Probably a weaker stand against the USSR (Euromissiles) (Giscard was Moscow's favourite candidate in 1981 as stated in the Pravda at the time)
- Rocard, Mauroy or Jospin become leader of the Socialist Party
- The Socialists win the 1983 Legislative Elections and Giscard is forced to experience "cohabitation" and appoint a Socialist PM
 
Top