European Think Tank
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ROBERT SCHUMAN Fondation
Presidential election in France: an analysis one week before the second round On 22nd April last the Socialist Party candidate (PS), François Hollande came out ahead in the first round of the French presidential election winning 28.63% of the vote, taking the lead over outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy, (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP), who won 27.18%. The two men will face each other in the second round of the election on 6th May next. According to a poll by TNS Sofres for Itélé published on 27th April, François Hollande is due to win the second round with 55% of the vote, and Nicolas Sarkozy, 45%. The campaign is in full swing in a bid to attract the undecided.
“At the end of that century of peace, things were improving ever more visibly, ever more rapidly. Forty years of peace had strengthened countries' economic foundations, technology had accelerated the pace of life, and scientific discoveries had filled the spirit of that generation with pride. One believed as little in the prospect of relapsing into barbarity, as is the case in wars between European peoples, as in ghosts or witches; they sincerely believed that the borders of differences between nations would little by little melt into a common humanity, and that, in this way, peace and security, the most precious of assets, would be bestowed upon all mankind.” These surprisingly modern comments were written by Stefan Zweig more than 60 years ago. They remind us that the Belle Epoque has a lot more to offer us than an idealised image of elegant women with parasols and hats.