Socialist Francois Hollande struck a blow against Nicolas Sarkozy in the first round of polling in the French Presidential Elections.
As widely predicted, the populist Hollande bounded over the incumbent by winning around 28 per cent of the vote, while Sarkozy was two points behind at around 26 per cent.
Hollande, who has promised to increase the highest income tax rate to 75 percent and wants to make war on financial markets, was triumphant in addressing his supporters, saying “the first round was a punishment and a rejection of the incumbent” and adding, “I am today the best-placed candidate to become the next French president”.
Now, both men will have to rally all their support and leverage votes from the other eight contenders to win round two on May 6th.
The surprise of the day was the third place finish of ultra conservative Marine Le Pen, daughter of the former President of the National Front.
It was the National Front’s best finish ever as she won nearly 19 per cent of the vote. Jean-Marie Le Pen stood proudly next to his daughter on the podium saying, “I not only made her. I picked her.” adding, “I think Sarkozy is finished”.
Le Pen took it further by saying the two-party system that has dominated French politics for years is dead. “The battle of France has just begun,” she told a wildly cheering crowd.
Though, Sarkozy tried to cater to conservative voters by talking about immigration laws and jobs, he wasn’t effective in winning the ultra conservative votes.
Sarkozy is the only incumbent to lose a first round-vote in modern French history.
His side put on a brave face, insisting he would regroup strength before the May 6th runoff. But many in France are already writing his political obituary.
Far left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon a Trotskyist- communist took fourth place with around 11 percent of the vote.
Turnout was high, at least 80 percent of France’s 44 million votes went to the polls, though not as high a turnout as it had been in 2007.
The Eurozone debt crisis and France’s negative GDP growth plus France’s slowest job market in 12 years did not help Sarkozy gain ground in this round.
Sarkozy and Hollande face a two-week intense campaign for the Presidency, though polls and political analysts say, in the end, Hollande will win by 55 percent.
The left has not won a presidential election in a quarter of a century. Should Francois Hollande win in round two on May 6th, he will be the first Socialist elected in France since another Francois…Francois Mitterrand in 1995.