Monday, April 23, 2012 4:42:08 AM
France's Sarkozy beaten into 2nd place as far right surges
Video [embedded]
France's Presidential Election
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 4:14 AM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012
Paris (CNN) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy was narrowly beaten into second place in presidential elections Sunday, as the National Front candidate Marine Le Pen posted the best result ever for a far-right candidate, the interior ministry announced with all the votes counted Monday.
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande came in first, beating Sarkozy by just over a percentage point. The two will face each other in a run-off on May 6 because no one got a majority in the first round.
French Trade and Tourism Minister Frederic Lefebvre, a Sarkozy supporter, told CNN on Sunday, "Now, we have to listen to the expectations of the far right."
Sarkozy has been a key figure on the European and international stages since becoming president in 2007.
France has played key roles in international hot-spots in places like Libya and Syria, not to mention during the pan-European debt crisis, but the domestic economy has been a prime focus of the election. France is struggling in the face of sluggish economic growth and a 10% unemployment rate.
The far-right Le Pen, 43, did not specifically direct her own supporters to rally behind or against anyone in the runoff, but on Sunday night, she described Sarkozy as "the outgoing president" and characterized her party as "the only opposition."
"We have never been as high as this," she said, pointing to her showing. "This is only the beginning. Let us continue to fight."
Her National Front party -- founded and, until last year, led by her father -- has been known for anti-euro, protectionist policies, its stringent positions on curbing immigration and other more right-wing stances that would appear to jibe more closely with the views of Sarkozy than Hollande.
Yet Ludovic Dedanne, a Le Pen adviser, accused Sarkozy of breaking promises during his five years in office and said people "do not trust" him. He recommended that his candidate's supporters "abstain" in the runoff.
With all votes counted on Monday, Hollande had 28.63% support, followed by Sarkozy at 27.18%.
Le Pen garnered 17.9% of the vote, while Jean-Luc Melenchon on the extreme left had 11.11% and centrist Francois Bayrou had 9.13%.
The gap had tightened appreciably from earlier results, when Hollande held a 6-percentage-point lead with just less than half the votes counted.
"I want to thank warmly the voters who, through their votes, have placed me in this position," Hollande told supporters in Paris on Sunday night. "This is an act of trust of confidence in my (positions) that I have presented to the French people."
The results appeared to be historic, and a bad sign for Sarkozy. Several high-profile Hollande supporters told CNN that a French president running for re-election has never failed to place first in the first round of the vote.
In his speech Sunday night in the capital, Sarkozy thanked citizens for voting during what he called "a time of crisis" -- saying "I know (their) worries, and I understand them."
He proposed three debates over the next two weeks, focused on the economy, social issues and foreign policy.
"The French people have the right to truth and clarity," said Sarkozy, who has been an outspoken leader on the global scene even as he has presided over a period of significant economic challenges since taking over in 2007. "Everyone will be able to make their choice with full knowledge."
Yet Aurelie Filippetti, an adviser to Hollande, said Sunday there would only be a single debate on May 2.
"There has always been one debate, and there's no need for (that) to change," she told CNN.
Sunday's turnout was 81%, with more than 12.5 million votes cast, according to the interior ministry. That marks a drop from 2007, when 84% of the nation's voters went to the polls, though key players from both Hollande and Sarkozy's camps described it as a "strong turnout" indicative of citizens' high interest in the race.
Especially with neither of them close to a majority, who assumes the presidency hinges on what support Sarkozy or Hollande can get from those who didn't back them Sunday.
In his speech Sunday night, Melenchon urged his supporters to "fight against Sarkozy" -- noting that he's not "asking for anything in exchange" from Hollande for siding with him.
"I'm asking you not to drag your feet," Melenchon told his backers. "I just ask you to mobilize."
A chief contrast in the two remaining contenders' economic approaches is that Hollande generally supports "more government action to stimulate the economy" whereas Sarkozy favors policies such as lowering some taxes and possibly repealing the mandated 35-hour work week, said Michael Leruth, who teaches a course about the election at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
One year ago, Hollande wasn't even considered by many as the Socialist party's best hope. That distinction belonged to then-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who polls suggested could challenge and possibly beat Sarkozy.
But Strauss-Kahn's political prospects floundered in the wake of sexual assault charges -- later dropped -- after an incident at a New York hotel, as well as accusations he participated in a prostitution ring in France. That helped propel the 57-year-old Hollande, who has never formally held any national elected office, to become his party's presidential choice.
He is now aiming to become France's first left-wing leader since the late Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995.
Lefebvre described Hollande as "the choice of the past," with other Sarkozy backers playing up the fact that Mitterand didn't select him as one of his ministers during his 14 years as president.
Yet Filippetti said that Le Pen's strong showing suggested that Sarkozy couldn't get those more philosophically aligned with his views to support him, despite his "aggressive" efforts. That will leave the incumbent hard-pressed to unite all French, she said.
"The people ... don't trust Nicolas Sarkozy any more," Filippetti said.
CNN's Hala Gorani, Jim Bittermann, Saskya Vandoorne, Azanie M'Packo and Rachel Ramsay in Paris; Dan Rivers and Justine Redman in Toulouse, France; and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
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Video [embedded]
France's Presidential Election
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 4:14 AM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012
Paris (CNN) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy was narrowly beaten into second place in presidential elections Sunday, as the National Front candidate Marine Le Pen posted the best result ever for a far-right candidate, the interior ministry announced with all the votes counted Monday.
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande came in first, beating Sarkozy by just over a percentage point. The two will face each other in a run-off on May 6 because no one got a majority in the first round.
French Trade and Tourism Minister Frederic Lefebvre, a Sarkozy supporter, told CNN on Sunday, "Now, we have to listen to the expectations of the far right."
Sarkozy has been a key figure on the European and international stages since becoming president in 2007.
France has played key roles in international hot-spots in places like Libya and Syria, not to mention during the pan-European debt crisis, but the domestic economy has been a prime focus of the election. France is struggling in the face of sluggish economic growth and a 10% unemployment rate.
The far-right Le Pen, 43, did not specifically direct her own supporters to rally behind or against anyone in the runoff, but on Sunday night, she described Sarkozy as "the outgoing president" and characterized her party as "the only opposition."
"We have never been as high as this," she said, pointing to her showing. "This is only the beginning. Let us continue to fight."
Her National Front party -- founded and, until last year, led by her father -- has been known for anti-euro, protectionist policies, its stringent positions on curbing immigration and other more right-wing stances that would appear to jibe more closely with the views of Sarkozy than Hollande.
Yet Ludovic Dedanne, a Le Pen adviser, accused Sarkozy of breaking promises during his five years in office and said people "do not trust" him. He recommended that his candidate's supporters "abstain" in the runoff.
With all votes counted on Monday, Hollande had 28.63% support, followed by Sarkozy at 27.18%.
Le Pen garnered 17.9% of the vote, while Jean-Luc Melenchon on the extreme left had 11.11% and centrist Francois Bayrou had 9.13%.
The gap had tightened appreciably from earlier results, when Hollande held a 6-percentage-point lead with just less than half the votes counted.
"I want to thank warmly the voters who, through their votes, have placed me in this position," Hollande told supporters in Paris on Sunday night. "This is an act of trust of confidence in my (positions) that I have presented to the French people."
The results appeared to be historic, and a bad sign for Sarkozy. Several high-profile Hollande supporters told CNN that a French president running for re-election has never failed to place first in the first round of the vote.
In his speech Sunday night in the capital, Sarkozy thanked citizens for voting during what he called "a time of crisis" -- saying "I know (their) worries, and I understand them."
He proposed three debates over the next two weeks, focused on the economy, social issues and foreign policy.
"The French people have the right to truth and clarity," said Sarkozy, who has been an outspoken leader on the global scene even as he has presided over a period of significant economic challenges since taking over in 2007. "Everyone will be able to make their choice with full knowledge."
Yet Aurelie Filippetti, an adviser to Hollande, said Sunday there would only be a single debate on May 2.
"There has always been one debate, and there's no need for (that) to change," she told CNN.
Sunday's turnout was 81%, with more than 12.5 million votes cast, according to the interior ministry. That marks a drop from 2007, when 84% of the nation's voters went to the polls, though key players from both Hollande and Sarkozy's camps described it as a "strong turnout" indicative of citizens' high interest in the race.
Especially with neither of them close to a majority, who assumes the presidency hinges on what support Sarkozy or Hollande can get from those who didn't back them Sunday.
In his speech Sunday night, Melenchon urged his supporters to "fight against Sarkozy" -- noting that he's not "asking for anything in exchange" from Hollande for siding with him.
"I'm asking you not to drag your feet," Melenchon told his backers. "I just ask you to mobilize."
A chief contrast in the two remaining contenders' economic approaches is that Hollande generally supports "more government action to stimulate the economy" whereas Sarkozy favors policies such as lowering some taxes and possibly repealing the mandated 35-hour work week, said Michael Leruth, who teaches a course about the election at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
One year ago, Hollande wasn't even considered by many as the Socialist party's best hope. That distinction belonged to then-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who polls suggested could challenge and possibly beat Sarkozy.
But Strauss-Kahn's political prospects floundered in the wake of sexual assault charges -- later dropped -- after an incident at a New York hotel, as well as accusations he participated in a prostitution ring in France. That helped propel the 57-year-old Hollande, who has never formally held any national elected office, to become his party's presidential choice.
He is now aiming to become France's first left-wing leader since the late Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995.
Lefebvre described Hollande as "the choice of the past," with other Sarkozy backers playing up the fact that Mitterand didn't select him as one of his ministers during his 14 years as president.
Yet Filippetti said that Le Pen's strong showing suggested that Sarkozy couldn't get those more philosophically aligned with his views to support him, despite his "aggressive" efforts. That will leave the incumbent hard-pressed to unite all French, she said.
"The people ... don't trust Nicolas Sarkozy any more," Filippetti said.
CNN's Hala Gorani, Jim Bittermann, Saskya Vandoorne, Azanie M'Packo and Rachel Ramsay in Paris; Dan Rivers and Justine Redman in Toulouse, France; and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
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