The second round of voting in the innovative elections to select the candidate from France's second major political party, the Parti Socialiste, to contest the re-election of President Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential elections to be held in May 2012, took place on October 16th 2011. Results confirm that François Hollande, who was the favorite in the pre-election surveys, will lead the Socialist Party's campaign.
Voting to elect the Socialist Party candidate in France
The first round of voting resulted in the elimination of four of the six candidates seeking nomination, leaving the two leaders, François Hollande and Martine Aubry, in a head-to-head in the second round. There has been widespread praise on both sides of the political playing field of the original idea of allowing all French citizens the possibility of electing the Socialist Party candidate. The turnout in the first round exceeded all expectations when over 2.3 million voters participated and the second round saw an even bigger turnout; 2,860,157 people nationwide dropped their envelopes into the ballot box on October 16th. All the political pundits are in agreement about the success of this idea and the ruling U.M.P. party may well consider doing the same in 2017. For 2012, however, it is almost certain that Nicolas Sarkozy will seek re-election, dispensing with the need for an internal selection process.
Clear victory for François Hollande over Martine Aubry
The results from the second round of polling gave François Hollande a comfortable victory over his rival, Martine Aubry, who now returns to her role as First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. The final results show that Mr Hollande received 56.57% and Ms Aubry 43.43% of the vote. Mr Hollande had already topped the polls after the first round of the election with 39.17%, ahead of Ms Aubry at 30.42% and Arnaud Montebourg at a surprisingly high 17.19%. The biggest loser in the first round was the presidential candidate from 2007, Ségolène Royal, who received less than 7% of the vote. In the days following the first round of voting, each of the defeated candidates declared their intention to vote for François Hollande in the second round.
United front for the French Socialist Party
As the dust settles after an intense period of preparation for the primaries, the Parti Socialiste will be most concerned with presenting a united front in the run-up to the actual presidential election next spring. Martine Aubry was quick to offer congratulations to the victor and the two candidates appeared before their supporters hand in hand at the Socialist Party headquarters in Paris after the announcement of the results. Their political rivals will be quick to point out any differences of opinion within the Socialist Party over the coming months and the party will be at pains to show that there are no internal divisions. François Hollande was gracious about all of the other competitors in his victory speech. As a former First Secretary of the Socialist Party himself, he is no doubt aware of the importance of listening to all of the different points of view one political family can hold.
Looking forward to the French Presidential elections in 2012
All eyes are now firmly fixed on the future and the elections which will be held on April 22nd and May 6th 2012. The ruling U.M.P. party has expressed relief that the Socialist primaries have come to an end, complaining that there has been blanket media coverage leaving little room for the voices of other political parties in recent weeks. It remains to be seen at what point President Nicolas Sarkozy will end the suspense surrounding his probable quest for re-election. At the time of writing there are 15 other candidates who have already declared themselves willing to contest the election.
Anna Doherty - After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Drama Studies at Trinity College in her native Dublin, Anna Doherty ...
