2012 French presidential election

French presidential election, 2012

21–22 April and 5–6 May 2012

Nominee François Hollande Nicolas Sarkozy Party PS UMP

Incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy UMP

The first round of the 2012 French presidential election took place on 22 April 2012 (or 21 April in some overseas departments and territories), with a second round run-off, due to be held on 6 May 2012 (or 5 May for those same territories). The incumbent president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is running for a second successive (and, under the terms of the constitution, final) term in the election. The first round ended with the selection of Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande as second round participants, as neither of them had acquired a majority in the first round.

Voting in overseas departments and territories

In overseas departments and territories of France located west of metropolitan France (i.e., Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and French Polynesia), voting takes place a day early, so that citizens in those territories and departments do not find themselves voting after the initial announcement of results. This is also the case for French residents in foreign countries west of metropolitan France. Some of these communities are remote; Amerindians in French Guiana, who are French citizens, "sometimes live more than three hours away by canoe from their ballot box", particularly in the large remote commune of Maripasoula. The standard electoral campaign papers sent to these voters, however, reportedly indicated 22 April as the day of the election, instead of 21 April.

Preliminary results

Preliminary results at 21:43 (CEST), 22 April: François Hollande   28.8% Nicolas Sarkozy   26.1% Marine Le Pen   18.5% Jean-Luc Mélenchon   11.7% François Bayrou   8.8% Eva Joly   2.3% Nicolas Dupont-Aignan   1.8% Philippe Poutou   1.2% Nathalie Arthaud   0.6% Jacques Cheminade   0.2% Turnout: 80.3%

Primaries

Socialist Party

Main article: French Socialist Party presidential primary, 2011

The 2011 French Socialist Party presidential primary was the first open primary (primaires citoyennes), jointly held by the French Socialist Party and Radical Party of the Left for selecting their candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Voters had to donate at least one Euro and sign a pledge to the values of the Left to be eligible. The filing deadline for primary nomination papers was fixed on 13 July 2011 and six candidates competed in the first round of the vote. On election day, 9 October 2011, no candidate won 50 percent of the vote, and the two candidates with the most votes contested a runoff election on 16 October 2011: François Hollande won the primary, defeating Martine Aubry.

Europe Écologie–The Greens

Europe Écologie–The Greens (EELV) held a primary to choose its candidate. The vote was open to all members of the party and of the Independent Ecological Movement. There were four candidates. The first round was held on 29 June 2011. Eva Joly, a member of EELV and a former examining magistrate, obtained 49.75% of the vote, ahead of independent candidate and environmental campaigner Nicolas Hulot (40.22%). The other two candidates, Henri Stoll and Stéphane Lhomme, obtained 5.02% and 4.44% respectively. The second round was held on 12 July, with Eva Joly obtaining 13 223 votes (58.16%) to Hulot's 9 399.

Qualification for the first ballot

In order to qualify for the first ballot for President, a candidate must collect the signatures of at least five hundred elected representatives among a total of more than 47,000; these can be mayors, general councillors, regional councillors, deputies, senators, members of the European Parliament elected in France. Ten candidates have qualified in 2012:

Gallery of candidates

• 
  Socialist Party: President of the General Council of Corrèze, former First Secretary of the Socialist Party and MP François Hollande
• 
  Union for a Popular Movement: On 15 February 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he was running for a second five year term.
• 
  National Front: Party President and MEP Marine Le Pen was selected on 16 May 2011.
• 
  Left Front: Jean-Luc Mélenchon MEP.
• 
  Democratic Movement: François Bayrou, president of MoDem and MP, confirmed his candidacy on 22 August 2011.
• 
  The Greens: MEP and former magistrate Eva Joly
• 
  Arise the Republic: Mayor and Member of Parliament Nicolas Dupont-Aignan
• 
  New Anticapitalist Party: Philippe Poutou
• 
  Workers' Struggle: Nathalie Arthaud
• Solidarité et progrès: Jacques Cheminade
  Solidarité et progrès: Jacques Cheminade

Candidates and campaign

A brief overview adapted from information in Le Monde.

Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy, the incumbent President and candidate of the Union for a Popular Movement, is aiming for a second and last term in office. He was consistently second in opinion polls throughout the campaign, behind François Hollande. His reforms during his first term included a reform of universities, and of the retirement age; a reform enabling citizens to query the constitutionality of laws; and a reduction in the number of public sector employees. He argued that his reforms had helped steer France through a period of economic crisis. His campaign pledges for his potential second term are described by Le Monde as "anchored on the right". He has promised to reduce legal immigration by 50%; threatened to withdraw France from the Schengen Area unless it were revised to enable stricter border controls; promised to compel beneficiaries of the Revenu de solidarité active to accept certain jobs, in exchange for support in finding them; and opposed Hollande's proposals in favour of gay marriage and voting rights for foreign residents in local elections. He has also promised more frequent referenda, for citizens to be consulted on major issues.

François Hollande

François Hollande, the candidate of the Socialist Party, topped the opinion polls throughout the campaign. He emphasised his promise to be a "normal" President, in contrast to Nicolas Sarkozy's sometimes controversial presidential style. He aims to restore France's national debt by 2017, notably by cancelling tax cuts for the wealthy and tax exemptions introduced by President Sarkozy. Income tax would be raised to 75% for incomes beyond one million euros; the retirement age would be brought back to 60 (with a full pension) for persons who have worked 42 years; 60 000 jobs cut by Nicolas Sarkozy in public education would be recreated. Homosexual couples would have the right to marry and adopt. Residents without European Union passports would be given the right to vote in local elections after five years of legal residency. On housing, he has promised to regulate rises in rent; to use punitive measures compel towns and cities to apply the 2000 law on solidarity and urban renewal (fr), which mandates the providing of social housing; and to provide public lands for the building of social housing.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon

Jean-Luc Mélenchon is the candidate of the Left Front, which includes in particular the French Communist Party and the Left Party. (He is a member of the latter.) He has been described as the surprise or revelation of the campaign, with his level of support in opinion polls rising from 5% in October 2011 to around 15% (and sometimes up to 17%) by the end of the campaign. He inaugurated the practice of giant open-air meetings, which the two leading candidates then adopted in turn. A former French teacher, he was noted for his eloquent style and oratory, but also for his argumentative relationship with journalists, and occasional insults; he notably described Marine Le Pen as "half-demented". He proposed raising the minimum wage to €1,700; setting a maximum wage differential of 1 to 20 in all businesses, so that employers wishing to increase their own salaries would also have to increase those of their employees; setting social and environmental norms which businesses would have to respect in order to receive public subsidies; supporting social enterprises through government procurement; taxing imports which do not meet certain social and environmental norms; and reestablishing 60 as the legal retirement age with a full pension. There would be an "ecological planification" towards a green, sustainable economy, backed by a "green rule" (règle verte) to be inscribed in the Constitution. On tax, he has proposed a progressive taxation, with higher taxes on the wealthy and a 100% tax rate beyond an income of €360,000 (thereby creating a maximum wage); expatriate French nationals established in a country with a lower tax rate than in France would pay the difference in tax in France. Businesses creating jobs, paying higher wages and/or providing training would receive tax cuts. Healthcare costs would be fully reimbursed by the state, and the right to die would be recognised. The right to abortion would be secured through inclusion in the Constitution. Homosexual couples would have the right to marry and adopt. Naturalisation of foreign residents would be facilitated, and foreign residents would have the right to vote in local elections. A constitutional convention would be assembled, with an aim in particular to increase the prerogatives of Parliament and diminish the powers of the President; all elections would be based on proportional representation, with gender parity.

Marine Le Pen

Marine Le Pen is the candidate of the National Front, succeeding her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was a candidate in five presidential elections. Aiming to reach the second round, as her father had done in 2002, she also attempted to provide a different image of the party, avoiding the xenophobic and anti-Semitic statements previously made by Jean-Marie Le Pen. She has advocated "national preference" for French citizens (over foreign residents) for access to jobs and social services, and a form of protectionism, as well as withdrawing from the euro and the European Union. She has advocated reducing legal immigration by 95%, and abolishing the right to family reunification. She held the third place in opinion polls for much of the campaign, occasionally dipping to fourth behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon, but remained consistently far behind Hollande and Sarkozy.

François Bayrou

François Bayrou is the candidate of the Democratic Movement, which he founded in 2007. He is one of only two candidates to stand in both the 2007 and 2012 elections (the other being Nicolas Sarkozy); he obtained 18.57% of the vote in 2007, finishing third. He stands for an independent centre in politics, which he has sought to distinguish clearly both from the left and the right. Describing France as being "in a critical state", he has focused on reducing the country's national debt, through a public spending freeze, cuts to tax exemptions, and a raise in taxes (Value added tax and taxes on the wealthy). On education, he has proposed that half the time in primary school should be dedicated to the mastering of reading and writing.

Eva Joly

Eva Joly is the candidate of Europe Écologie–The Greens. Before entering politics for this election, she was a known public figure, as the examining magistrate in criminal corruption cases involving powerful companies or individuals - notably the Elf Aquitaine oil company, the Crédit Lyonnais bank or businessman and politician Bernard Tapie. (See: Elf affair (fr).) She is also the first foreign-born person to stand for the French presidency; born in Norway, she is a naturalized French citizen. She focused her campaign not only on the environment but also on social issues, describing herself as the representative of the "reasonable" or "realistic" left, and on denouncing discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. Homosexual couples would be given the right to marry and adopt, and foreign residents would have the right to vote in all elections. She suggested that the "ecological transformation of the economy" would create 600 000 jobs over the next five years. An agreement signed between her party and the Socialist Party contained a clause on the closing of nuclear reactors; in the final stages of the campaign, when François Hollande announced it would not be upheld, she expressed the hope she could still convince him. She also drew attention by accusing Nicolas Sarkozy of having obtained illicit funding for his previous campaign; critics accused her of ignoring the presumption of innocence, and Sarkozy himself replied that he "despised" her. Known for her bright red glasses, which she symbolically switched for bright green ones, she was described by the press as struggling with her campaign, barely reaching 3% in opinion polls.

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, described as an "anti-euro souverainist", is the candidate of Arise the Republic, a party he founded in 2008. He has advocated leaving the euro on grounds of economic well-being, and the European Union "in its current form", which he describes as "already dead" and leading to "economic ruin and social regression". He has called for an "intelligent protectionism", with tariffs on imports that result from "human slavery"; and tax cuts for businesses that reinvest their profits in France. He has described himself as a Gaullist.

Nathalie Arthaud

Nathalie Arthaud, a teacher of economics and management in a secondary school, is the candidate of Workers' Struggle. She succeeds famous perennial candidate Arlette Laguiller, who represented the party in six consecutive presidential elections, from 1974 to 2007. A Trotskyist, she has described herself as the "only communist candidate" in the election. She has stated that she does not aim to be elected, describing elections as "inessential", and considering that workers will obtain new rights only through their struggles rather than through the ballot box.

Philippe Poutou

Philippe Poutou, a worker in a car factory, is the candidate of the New Anticapitalist Party, succeeding Olivier Besancenot. For much of the campaign, he remained little known to the general public; he was described as lacking Besancenot's popularity, charisma and ease with words. Freely admitting that he did not particularly want to be a candidate, and that he did not aim to be elected (particularly as one of his policies was to abolish the function of President, in favour of a fully parliamentary system), he saw his profile and popularity increase somewhat in the late stages of the campaign, when all candidates obtained equal airtime in the media. In particular, his unconventional behaviour drew attention during the television programme Des paroles et des actes (fr), along with his unusual campaign clips - such as one based on the film The Artist. Like Nathalie Arthaud, his message was that improvements in workers' rights would come through workers' struggles and demands rather than through the ballot box.

Jacques Cheminade

Jacques Cheminade is the candidate of his Solidarity and Progress movement, the French branch of the LaRouche movement. Described as a "conspiracy theorist" by the press, he drew some attention with his proposals for an expanded space programme, and stagnated around 0% in the opinion polls.

Campaign

With the electoral shift to the Left in the indirect Senate election in September, 2011, Nicolas Sarkozy was seen from domestic and German vantages both to have failed to boost his party's popularity, particularly with foreign affairs initiatives, and to have lost the ability to pursue budget proposals as he had anticipated in advance of the presidential election.

The official campaign began on 20 March, but in the wake of the shooting at the Ozar Hatorah day school in Toulouse the two leading candidates, Hollande and Sarkozy, suspended their campaigns. Although Jean-Luc Mélenchon argued that to continue with the campaign was "an act of moral, emotional and intellectual resistance." In some parts of the media, Sarkozy and Le Pen were also criticised for misusing the Midi-Pyrénées shootings as campaign fodder against "radical Islam."

During the campaign Hollande promised a renegotiation of the European fiscal pact - which entails a public debt limit on Eurozone states without an increase in public revenues or of tax reforms - he also called for higher taxes on the wealthy.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted during the campaign that he did not visit Fukushima while in Japan after the previous year's earthquake and tsunami, despite having previously said he had done so.

Opinion polling

Main article: Opinion polling for the French presidential election, 2012

Since his nomination in October 2011, François Hollande consistently led in the opinion polls, though after official campaigning began he began to see his lead narrow. Around late March 2012, polls started to show a narrow lead for the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, although these have begun to subside in favour of a Hollande lead once more. Prospective runoff polls between the two leading candidates indicate Hollande would win by a margin between 6% and 10%.

Leaking of results

French law sets a blackout of the release of exit polls until the last polling station is closed at 8 p.m. on Sunday, with fines up to €75,000. However, results were leaked on Twitter. As a way to circumvent the law, code names have been agreed on: "Flanby" for Hollande, "le nain" (midget) for Sarkozy, Titanic for Marine Le Pen, or Tomate for Mélenchon, as well as other intuitive, humorous names. Appropriate metaphors are used (football: Holland, Morocco, Hungary). The hashtag is #RadioLondres as it recalls the coded messagew from WWII sent by Radio Londres.

Some people saw a risk of manipulating future elections, whereas one proeminent blogger felt 'dispossed'.

External links

• The Constitutional council's duties relating to the presidential election
• Opinion poll tracker with data
• French presidential election, 2012 at Guardian UK