France decides (round 1)

Brexit & Foreign Policy

France goes to the polls this weekend to elect its President, with a second round run-off, if required, taking place a fortnight hence, reports Tom Rouse.

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France goes to the polls this weekend to elect its President, with a second round run-off, if required, taking place a fortnight hence.

Nicolas-Sarkozy-Francois-Hollande
The final week of campaigning ahead of the first round of voting on Sunday has seen a bitter war of words between supporters of President Sarkozy and his Socialist rival François Hollande.

M. Sarkozy’s campaign was dealt a fresh blow when a close aide of Jacques Chirac confirmed the former president would be voting for M. Hollande.

The race is expected to go to a second round, with the two men neck and neck on 27% each in an Ipsos poll published earlier this week, but the challenger looks to have a strong advantage in future rounds, with the same survey giving him a 12% lead in any head-to head contest.

However, recent polling has also suggested the parties at either extreme of French politics are likely to give a strong showing, although neither the far left or the far right are likely to produce a repeat of 2002’s upset when Fascist Jean Marie Le Pen progressed to the run-off.

 

See also:

• Sarkozy chases youth vote as election enters final weeks 5 Apr 2012

• Sarkozy v Hollande: French presidential race hots up 14 Mar 2012

• Desperate Sarkozy cranks up the anti-immigration rhetoric 14 Mar 2012

• Le Pen’s fascists claim French youngsters are ‘joining in their droves’ 28 Feb 2012

• Is François Hollande the next president of France? 9 Feb 2012

 

As BBC News reported today, amidst speculation he may approach far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon or centrist François Bayrou to shore up his support in the second round, M. Hollande said there would be no deals, “no bartering, no concessions, no exchanges”.

 

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12 Responses to “France decides (round 1)”

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