Hollande Tops Sarkozy in French Vote, Le Pen Surges

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

Hollande tops Sarkozy in French vote, Le Pen surges

By Catherine Bremer and Emmanuel Jarry

PARIS | Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:21pm EDT

By Catherine Bremer and Emmanuel Jarry

PARIS (Reuters) - Far-rightist Marine Le Pen threw France's presidential race wide open on Sunday by scoring nearly 20 percent in the first round - votes that may determine the runoff between Socialist favorite Francois Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Hollande led Sarkozy by about 29 to 26 percent in reliable computer projections broadcast after polling stations closed, and the two will meet in a head-to-head decider on May 6.

But Le Pen's record score of 18-20 percent was the sensation of the night, beating her father's 2002 result and outpolling hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon, in fourth place on 11 percent. Centrist Francois Bayrou finished fifth on less than 10 percent.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE83I0EZ20120422?irpc=932

[onehandle]

1. Go Tea Party!...

...go to France, where you would apparently be more popular.

[GliderGuider]

2. The worse the economic situation becomes

the more people are going to look for authoritarian "strong hand" rulers. This story has a lot of chapters left yet. In 10 years the far right won't even need to steal elections, they will be handed to them by legitimate majorities.

[FarCenter]

3. We're starting to see the effects of limiting energy supplies

Developed country economies are stagnating with zero growth.

Developing countries either manage to control populations and join the developed countries, or the lack of energy for tillage, fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation starts a cycle of economic decline and eventual starvation.

Travel will be halted, except for official purposes, and the borders will be sealed.

[marshall gaines]

5. yep

yep the sheeple get afraid, strong, fascists,dictatorial authoritarian 'strong hand' rulers promise peace and safety and these individuals step right in with our blessing.Look at aftermath of 9/11. We gave away our individual rights and freedoms as americans, thru the Patriot Act, for the promise of safety.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. In the 30's there was an organized left opposition

to fascism. In fact there was an organized non-communist left that opposed totalitarianism on both the right and the left. Now, outside of marginalized groups, to which I unfortunately must consign the occupy movement, there is nothing. The situation we are in is bleak, and as the resource crunch and climate catastrophe grow worse, likely to get bleaker.

[JDPriestly]

12. I think that there is a pretty big anti-immigration movement in Europe in general.

[Mass]

4. Le Pen is out. Good. Hollande is solidly ahead and hopefully will win,

Le Pen is high because many RWer did not want to vote for Sarkozy (too bad the US media seemed to love him)

[pampango]

6. Le Monde reports that Mr. Sarkozy is trailing Mr. Hollande by eight points in a new poll of their

head-to-head match up. Hollande 54% Sarkozy 46%

Unlike Mr. Hollande who drew attention to the strong performance of the far right in his post-vote speech, Mr. Sarkozy did not mention Marine Le Pen, whose supporters he had courted at times during the campaign. Winning over her voters from the first round is likely to be crucial to his hopes for a second term.

Polls show around 60% of Le Pen's voters would go to Sarkozy. 18% of them would go to Hollande.

After his disappointing fourth-place finish behind the candidate of the far right National Front, a fiery Jean-Luc Mélenchon called on his supporters to rally and help defeat Mr. Sarkozy in the runoff election.

"We have the key to the final result," he said, without mentioning Mr. Sarkozy's challenger, the Socialist candidate François Hollande, by name. "I ask you not to drag your feet."

The candidate of the leftist Front de Gauche, Mr. Mélenchon, said that his party had been the only voice standing up to the National Front, whose candidate Marine Le Pen surprised many French observers by emerging in third place in early projections.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/latest-updates-on-the-french-presidential-election/

[totodeinhere]

8. I don't see much of a difference no matter who wins the runoff.

Either Le Pen or Mélenchon would have meant big changes, but let's face it, Hollande is nothing more than Sarkozy lite. His party is called the "Socialist Party" but actually they are a far cry from true socialists.

[pampango]

9. Hollande and Sarkozy seem to have different proposals for taxes, immigration, "austerity" budgets

and the EU among other things. Le Pen or Melenchon would certainly have meant bigger changes, but Hollande and Sarkozy are hardly the same. A Sarkozy victory would be terrible for France and Europe.

[dipsydoodle]

10. I don't think there was ever much chance of Marine Le Pen's success in a Presidential election

but it may be indicative of the outcome of other future elections sad to say.

[FarLeftFist]

11. What?! Hollande wants to tax millionaires at a 75% rate, prosecute banksters, & hire 60,000 teachers

BIG difference between the 2.

[IamK]

13. "wants".....

see what happens if he is elected.... All the french millionaires live or will live in Monte Carlo and France does not have the
will or the money for the other two... The French people admire corrupt bankers...