Number: RL33957
Title: Elections in France, 2007
Authors: Paul Gallis, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: On May 6, 2007, French voters chose the Gaullist Nicolas Sarkozy to be President of France. In a contentious campaign, he defeated the Socialist Ségolène Royal by a margin of 53.1% to 46.9%. Sarkozy will assume power on May 16. The two-round legislative elections will follow on June 10 and 17. Sarkozy represents a younger generation of leaders at a time when a majority of the French public believes their country is in decline, in part due to enduring low economic growth and high unemployment, in part to an apparent diminishing influence in guiding the course of the European Union (EU). The second round of the presidential elections saw a near-record turnout of 84.9% in a campaign that was closely watched by voters. Sarkozy succeeded in capturing a majority of both the women's vote and the vote of those over 60. He pledged to lower persistent unemployment, deal decisively with issues relating to immigrants, reduce the government bureaucracy, and reform the economy. His Gaullist predecessor, Jacques Chirac, had made similar promises but proved unable to implement effective change. The first round of the elections eliminated extremists on the right and the left. Sarkozy finished with 31.17% of the vote, followed by Royal with 25.87%. The third-place finisher, François Bayrou of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), finished third with 18.57% of the vote, triple the support that he received in the 2002 presidential elections. The racist and xenophobic candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen, gained 10.44% of the vote, a sharp drop form this showing in 2002. Royal courted UDF voters in the second round, but her appeal did not succeed, as they split their vote.
Pages: 13
Date: June 20, 2007