Who won the 2012 presidental election in France?

Answer 1

The April/May 2012 French presidential election was won by François Hollande, the candidate of the centre-left Socialist Party (Partie Socialiste).

In the first round held April 21-22, Hollande won 10.2million votes, representing 28.6% of all valid votes cast. Incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy, nominated by the conservative Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire), finished in second place with 9.8million (27.2%) votes. As neither candidate had more than 50% of the vote, Hollande and Sarkozy progressed to a second round between them.

At the end of the second round, held on May 5-6, Hollande defeated Sarkozy by 18million (51.6%) votes against 16.7milllion (48.4%). Hollande thus replaced Sarkozy as President of the French Republic on May 15 - this was the first time a Socialist candidate had won a Presidential election since 1988.

In parliamentary elections held one month later, the left presidential majority won 39.9% of the first round vote and 49.9% of the second round vote, taking 331 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, including 280 for the Socialist Party. All in all, parties supporting Hollande have 85 more seats than those opposing or neutral to his presidency. This victory enabled Hollande to keep his chosen Prime Minister and Cabinet, allowing him to govern as an executive President in France's hybrid system.