Wars, politics & history

2012 French presidential election

22 April 2012

The 2012 French presidential election was held in two rounds, with the first round on 22 April and the runoff on 6 May. The Socialist candidate Francois Hollande defeated the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy of the UMP, becoming the first Socialist president of France since Francois Mitterrand. The campaign was dominated by the economy, unemployment and the eurozone crisis, and Hollande promised a tax on very high incomes and a more growth-oriented approach to European budget policy. Marine Le Pen of the National Front took a record share of the vote in the first round and finished third. Hollande took office in May and was followed in 2017 by Emmanuel Macron, after Hollande chose not to stand for a second term.

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