The "rentrée" of the April vacation, meaning the complaining about starting work up again, whining about students, the weather we had or didn't have over the holiday, agonizing over exactly how many days remain until the next holiday, was eclipsed by something that warrants, believe it or not, an even higher place on the rating totem pole: politics.
Sunday night was the first round of the two-part presidential elections in France that come around every five years, and the frogs came out in force: 80 percent voted. If, like most people, you don't follow French politics, because you don't live here, and so why would you, here's what happened: Francois Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate came out ahead with 28 percent of the votes. The incumbent President, fondly known as Sarko, from the party took 27 percent of the votes, the first time an sitting president has not come in first during the first round since 1958. Marine Le Pen from the extreme right took 18 percent of the votes, the highest share of the vote the Front National has ever won. The other parties: Jean-Luc Melenchon for The Communist Party won about 11 percent, Francois Bayrou for the centrist Modem Party took 9, all the other parties (yes there are still more) took minor percentages.
In 2002, a year that I swear to you will live in the French's collective consciousness for all time for this reason, after the first round of elections the citizens were left with a choice between 2 right-ist candidates: Jaques Chirac, a member of the now UMP party (same as Sarkozy), and for the extreme right, Marine's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Normally after the first round of voting the choice is narrowed down to 2 final candidates, almost always one from the right and one from the left (starting to look more familiar now, right?), except this year. And the French are still traumatized.
The fact that the extreme right with Marine Le Pen came this close to winning one of the 2 spots in the second round really got my colleagues riled up as they told me "quelle honte," "how embarassing," that so many French voted for her, nearly one in five, and they all relived their "horreur" of 2002.
Right now polls are projecting that Socialist Hollande will win second round which happens in 2 weeks, on May 6th, but what Marine will do with her voters is still up in the air. Some think she will call for them to abstain, as she cannot endorse Sarkozy after a whole campaign agaist him, nor endore Hollande who she has called one in the same as Sarko. Last night Melenchon in no certain terms called for his constituents to take down Sarko, without explicitly endorsing Mr. Hollande by name. Bayrou, as he did back in 2007 after losing in the first round, will write letters to both Hollande and Sarko and await their answers on the economy and future of the country before endorsing one or the other.
Among many promises, Hollande has declared he will lower not only his salary but all those of his cabinet members upon election, bring the retirement age back down to 60 from 62 - an incredibly unpopular augmentation Sarkozy officialized last fall, raise the minimum wage, hire more teachers, oh and tax those earning above 1 million euros a year 75 percent on what they make above that margin.
Vive la France.
Sunday night was the first round of the two-part presidential elections in France that come around every five years, and the frogs came out in force: 80 percent voted. If, like most people, you don't follow French politics, because you don't live here, and so why would you, here's what happened: Francois Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate came out ahead with 28 percent of the votes. The incumbent President, fondly known as Sarko, from the party took 27 percent of the votes, the first time an sitting president has not come in first during the first round since 1958. Marine Le Pen from the extreme right took 18 percent of the votes, the highest share of the vote the Front National has ever won. The other parties: Jean-Luc Melenchon for The Communist Party won about 11 percent, Francois Bayrou for the centrist Modem Party took 9, all the other parties (yes there are still more) took minor percentages.
In 2002, a year that I swear to you will live in the French's collective consciousness for all time for this reason, after the first round of elections the citizens were left with a choice between 2 right-ist candidates: Jaques Chirac, a member of the now UMP party (same as Sarkozy), and for the extreme right, Marine's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Normally after the first round of voting the choice is narrowed down to 2 final candidates, almost always one from the right and one from the left (starting to look more familiar now, right?), except this year. And the French are still traumatized.
The fact that the extreme right with Marine Le Pen came this close to winning one of the 2 spots in the second round really got my colleagues riled up as they told me "quelle honte," "how embarassing," that so many French voted for her, nearly one in five, and they all relived their "horreur" of 2002.
Right now polls are projecting that Socialist Hollande will win second round which happens in 2 weeks, on May 6th, but what Marine will do with her voters is still up in the air. Some think she will call for them to abstain, as she cannot endorse Sarkozy after a whole campaign agaist him, nor endore Hollande who she has called one in the same as Sarko. Last night Melenchon in no certain terms called for his constituents to take down Sarko, without explicitly endorsing Mr. Hollande by name. Bayrou, as he did back in 2007 after losing in the first round, will write letters to both Hollande and Sarko and await their answers on the economy and future of the country before endorsing one or the other.
Among many promises, Hollande has declared he will lower not only his salary but all those of his cabinet members upon election, bring the retirement age back down to 60 from 62 - an incredibly unpopular augmentation Sarkozy officialized last fall, raise the minimum wage, hire more teachers, oh and tax those earning above 1 million euros a year 75 percent on what they make above that margin.
Vive la France.
What an interesting time to be in France! Keep us updated on the election results and fallout!
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