Sanchia Alasia reports on Francois Hollande’s victory over Nicoals Sarkozy in the French Presidential elections.
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France is celebrating its first Socialist President for 17 years, voting in François Hollande and bidding adieu to Nicolas Sarkozy.
Although Sarkozy may have clung on in the final live televised debate – watched by 18 million viewers – Hollande dealt with his cries of “liar” quite well, and with Fascist Marine Le Pen stating she would cast a blank vote, centrist François Bayrou pledging support for him and polls consistently putting the Socialist ahead, “M. Normal” won the day with just under 52% of the vote, in a Presidential race that ended much closer than expected.
Jubilant crowds partied all night at the Place de la Bastille in central Paris, the same place François Mitterrand celebrated his election win in 1981.
Hollande’s victory showed a rejection by France of tough austerity measures, the voters calling instead for the creation of a new European agreement for jobs and growth.
In his victory speech at the Place de la Capitale in Tulle, he asked the public to judge him on two key issues – “justice and young people”.
President Hollande said:
“I am proud to be capable of giving hope again. I will be the president of all… There is only one France, one nation, reunited for the same destiny…
“Everyone in France with be treated equally, no child of the Republic will be sidelined, abandoned or discriminated against. The first thing the President of the Republic must do is to assemble and bring people together for the challenges we face.”
“Europe is watching us, when this result was announced I am sure that in some countries it was a relief, a hope… Austerity is not inevitable…
“We are are not any old country, we are France!”
• Sarkozy and Hollande chase the disaffected Le Pen vote 30 Apr 2012
• It’s Sarko v Hollande, part deux 23 Apr 2012
• France decides (round 1) 20 Apr 2012
• Sarkozy v Hollande: French presidential race hots up 14 Mar 2012
• Is François Hollande the next president of France? 9 Feb 2012
Hollande’s win has implications for Europe as whole, proving austerity is not the be and end all. The left across Europe have galvanised hope in his win; Labour Party activists in the UK have been tweeting their delight at Hollande’s win, perhaps seeing it as a symbol for the British public rejecting harsh austerity measures in the general elections in 2015.
The Greek elections, more worryingly, have shown the public supporting far-left and far-right parties who reject the austerity regime, against the mainstream centre-right New Democracy and Socialist parties.
Europe is eager to see how the Franco-German relationship will evolve under Hollande’s direction, especially when Angela Merkel backed Sarkozy in his presidential bid. Hollande plans to meet with Merkel before the G8 summit in Washington in an attempt to start to renegotiate the fiscal pact.
All eyes now turn to the parliamentary elections in June, where the Socialists, UMP and Front National will want to win majorities. It is particularly important for the Socialist to win seats so that Hollande can carry through his policies. The campaign continues.
23 Responses to “Vive Hollande! M. Normal wins the day”
Anonymous
Yes, some members of your caste are worried. You all should be.
Your continued leeching, underpayment of tax relative to wealth and your continued bleed of the 99% for corporate welfare continues.
The “hard facts” are that you’re refusing to pay. Period. You’re slavering over destroying the services for the 99%, so your portfolio can be boosted.
That’s all that ever matters to you. Gotta kill people through starvation and cold, gotta ensure that nobody can retire, gotta ensure that people can’t even emigrate, all to pay you ever-more.
While you salt your wealth away in tax havens.
Even America, with a reasonable right-wing response, is 3% ahead of us in growth. Your economic policy has, demonstrably, killed growth and caused a double dip. But enough is never enough, you demand ever-more austerity, ever more punishment for the 99%, ever more blood for your blood god.
“Gimmie” is your creed and your faith.
Anonymous
Since when was a lower middle class tax payer a leach?
I’m not the one ramping up fuel and electricity costs. That’s killing people. Thank the Greens, Cameron, Lib Dems and Labour for that mess. You are right, they are doing that for personal profit. Follow the money.
Again, I’m not the one trying to escape the UK to avoid paying. You are.
Anonymous
Since you’re not anything like one.
And yes, you are. Profits have to flow to your kind from the energy companies. Follow the money, it’s you.
And your cash is safely abroad, and quite – someone of another caste DARED to try to get a job abroad. DARED to think that a deacent salary was okay.
Anathema, anathema! Even the THOUGHT of that must be exterminated, root and branch!
Ed's Talking Balls
‘Hollande’s win has implications for Europe as whole, proving austerity is not the be and end all.’
Agree with the bit before the comma, but the bit thereafter is utterly untrue: he’s proved no such thing. We’ll have to wait and see how he governs and, if he does do things differently from other politicians across Europe, whether it works.
Shamik Das
Vive Hollande! http://t.co/OELLwtD1 #BBCqt