Sarkozy was punished by voters, Hollande says

Quite expectedly, the candidate from the Socialist Party Francois Hollande won in the first round of the French presidential elections on Sunday. The incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy is 1.5 percent behind. According to France’s Ministry of Interior’s data after processing all the ballots, Hollande gained 28.6 percent of votes, with Sarkozy getting 27.1 percent. This was the lowest result for an incumbent president in France’s history. Moreover, since 1958, when the Fifth Republic was created, it is the first time when France’s incumbent president does not win in the first round of elections. After the preliminary results were announced, Hollande stated that now he stands the highest chances to become the next president, whereas Sarkozy was punished by the voters.

All the polls predict the victory for the Socialist Party candidate. According to the data of the polls carried out by CSA for BFM TV, RMC, and 20 Minutes, in the second round Hollande will earn 56 percent of votes and Sarkozy – 44 percent. According to the survey, 91 percent of Jean-Luc Melenchon’s voters, 84 percent of Eva Joly’s voters, 40 percent Francois Bayrou’s, 27 Marine Le Pen’s supporters, and 28 percent of those who did not vote or threw an empty ballot to the ballot box are going to back the socialist candidate. Sarkozy in his turn will get 52 percent of Le Pen’s, 25 percent of Bayrou’s votes, and 13 percent of votes of those who did not make their choice in the first round. The survey carried out by Ipsos polling firm for France Television, Radio France and Le Monde newspaper confirms Hollande’s victory in the second round of the face-off – 54 against Sarkozy’s 44 percent. The survey carried out by Ifop (French Institute of Public Opinion) for Europe 1, Paris Match magazine, and Public Senat TV channel as well predicts the victory for the opposition’s candidate. The result of the first round also showed how the crisis of the Eurozone affects those in power. Nearly every fifth French citizen voted for the party that wants to refuse from euro and return to franc. If Hollande wins in the second round, he will be the second politician from the left to be elected President under the Fifth Republic, after Francois Mitterand, who served two seven-year terms in this office, in 1981-95.