Hollande, Sarkozy heading for runoff in France presidential vote
Kim Willsher
Socialist challenger Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy will advance to a runoff presidential election after an initial round of balloting Sunday, but a far-right candidate shocked the political establishment by running a strong third. –Early returns released after polls closed showed Hollande with about 28% of the vote to Sarkozy's 26%, a margin consistent with pre-election polls. Eight other candidates trailed.
The biggest surprise was the strong showing of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who received about 20%. That would be the strongest electoral showing her party has ever made -- about double the percentage her father Jean-Marie Le Pen received in 2007.
Marine Le Pen knocked left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon into fourth place, becoming the kingmaker in the May 6 runoff between Hollande and Sarkozy. At least half of her voters are expected to support Sarkozy.
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"Hollande, Sarkozy heading for runoff in France presidential vote", La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), avril 2012. Consulté le 18/09/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/archives/archives-revue-de-presse/hollande-sarkozy-heading-for-runoff-in-france-presidential-vote