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French Vote: Hollande Party Consolidates

  • June 15th, 2012
  • Posted by EUEditor

france-voting-decision-valence.jpg The first round of two-stage elections for the French parliament, on Sunday, put the Socialist party of President Francois Hollande in a strong position.

Not enough candidates achieved an absolute majority needed to claim their seats, so the result will not be known until the second round of voting this weekend (17.6.12).

Normally authoritative opinion polls are indicating that the socialists and allied parties of the centre and left will emerge with a strong majority.

Another trend is that the right-wing National Front may do well as the expense of the conservative party, the UMP.

Its candidate, the then-incumbent President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was defeated by Mr Hollande in the presidential election  on 6.5.12 (See EUAustralia Online, “Elections: France, Greece” …, 7.5.12).

Francois Hollande has proposed a program that would ease austerity measures, in the interest of trying to revive growth, with emphasis on European collaboration in managing the sovereign debt crisis.

Reference

Steven Erlanger, “French Vote Raises Socialists’ Hopes for Majority in Parliament”, NYT, NY, 11.6.12. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/world/europe/socialists-fare-well-in-french-parliamentary-elections.html, (15.6.12)

Le Monde / AFP-Reuters, Paris, “Le PS et ses alliés obtiendraient la majorité absolue à l’Assemblée” (The socialist party and its allies are positioned to get an absolute majority in the National Assembly), 16.6.12.

 

Picture

Voting in France takes place at thousands of polling stations, usually school-rooms in small constituency areas.