A close collaborator of party leader Georges Marchais, he was chosen to be the PCF's candidate in the 1988 presidential election.

[1] A rather mediocre public speaker, Lajoinie proved to be an uncharismatic candidate, and was lampooned by humorists who caricatured him as a dimwit.

His voting share of 6.8% was considered an unusually mediocre result for PCF standards.

Lajoinie died on 26 November 2024 in Paris at the age of 94.

This article about a French Communist Party politician is a stub.