In the 1981 presidential election, Giscard d'Estaing's re-election was in trouble because former Prime Minister Chirac ran against him. Chirac finished third and did not tell his supporters to vote for Giscard in the second round of the election. Giscard d'Estaing lost to Mitterrand by 3 points in the runoff, ending a 23-year conservative presidential span. He blamed Chirac for his defeat.