Special Report
Last modification: 14/03/12
France 2012: en route to the presidency
France heads to the polls this spring for the country’s most important election in five years. Campaign season does not officially start until April 9, but at least a dozen presidential hopefuls are already jostling for position in the imminent race to the Elysée Presidential Palace. FRANCE 24 takes an in-depth look at the players and power plays that will make 2012 a year to remember.
 
New poll gives Sarkozy first round election lead
French Elections 2012

New poll gives Sarkozy first round election lead

An opinion poll for the first time Tuesday put French President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of Socialist rival François Hollande for the April 22 first round of presidential elections but showed Hollande would win a run-off vote on May 6.
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Who will be France’s next first lady, or gentleman?
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Who will be France’s next first lady, or gentleman?

A singer, a journalist, a housewife or a plasterer’s son: who will move into the Elysée Palace in May, and can candidates count on their partners to help them get there? FRANCE 24 takes a look at who might be France’s next first lady… or gentleman.
40 DAYS LEFT

March 13: French voter intentions for presidential race

Marine Le Pen clears hurdle to stand in election
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Marine Le Pen clears hurdle to stand in election

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front party, confirmed Tuesday she had gained the backing of 500 elected officials required for her to run in the forthcoming presidential elections. Le Pen currently stands third in opinion polls.
Sarkozy urges French to 'take the lead' in Europe
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy urges French to 'take the lead' in Europe

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called upon the French to take the lead in defending the "European way of life" on Sunday in an hour-long speech at a giant campaign rally in the northern Paris suburb of Villepinte.
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Sarkozy struggling to turn French election tide
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy struggling to turn French election tide

President Nicolas Sarkozy is hoping to battle back from negative opinion polls in his quest for a second term in office, but his election campaign has thus far struggled to gain traction with the public.
AUDIO: Green candidate Joly on 'xenophobic' election
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

AUDIO: Green candidate Joly on 'xenophobic' election

French Green Party presidential hopeful Eva Joly tells FRANCE 24 that she despairs of the xenophobic tone of the presidential election, while important international issues remain left out of the discourse.
Sarkozy to quit politics if he loses re-election bid
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy to quit politics if he loses re-election bid

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that he would leave politics if he loses his re-election bid, and pointed out that his Socialist challenger, who leads in polls, has a worrying "dearth of experience" for such troubled times.
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FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Left slams Sarkozy’s ‘too many foreigners’ claim

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Most voters already decided about Sarkozy, poll says
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Most voters already decided about Sarkozy, poll says

Three-quarters of French voters say they have already made up their minds whether or not they will cast ballots for current president Nicolas Sarkozy when he seeks re-election in April, according to a poll published Monday.
Sarkozy: 'We have too many foreigners in France'
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy: 'We have too many foreigners in France'

French president Nicolas Sarkozy said in a television interview Tuesday that there are too many immigrants in France, a situation that he claimed jeopardised their integration into French society.
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European leaders ganging up on Hollande, report says
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

European leaders ganging up on Hollande, report says

German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel has published a report accusing four conservative leaders of European countries of deliberately shunning French Socialist presidential hopeful François Hollande.
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Sarkozy takes refuge in bar from egg-tossing crowd
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy takes refuge in bar from egg-tossing crowd

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was forced to seek temporary refuge in a bar in the southwestern region of Bayonne Thursday after he was mobbed by opposition supporters and hundreds of Basque separatists yelling insults and throwing eggs.
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FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Can Hollande turn London’s French voters Socialist?

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Hollande vows 75% tax rate for France's top earners
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Hollande vows 75% tax rate for France's top earners

Socialist Party presidential candidate Francois Hollande has set his sights on taxing the rich with plans to introduce a 75 percent tax rate for France's top earners. Hollande said it would be a “patriotic” move to revive France’s ailing economy.
Syndicate contentKEY ISSUES FOR 2012
Sarkozy opens re-election campaign headquarters
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Sarkozy opens re-election campaign headquarters

French President Nicolas Sarkozy opened his re-election campaign headquarters in a residential area of Paris on Saturday. He emphasised the office's modest size, in a dig at the larger headquarters of his opponent, Socialist Francois Hollande.
Fact-checking blogs turn up heat on French candidates
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012

Fact-checking blogs turn up heat on French candidates

As French presidential hopefuls jostle their way to the April 22 poll, a handful of political fact-checking websites are shaking up traditional journalism in France.
Leftist candidate takes far-right fight to prime time
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012
Leftist candidate takes far-right fight to prime time
For France’s blighted north, a Green path out of crisis
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012
For France’s blighted north, a Green path out of crisis
Centrist François Bayrou returns for another presidential fight
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012
Centrist François Bayrou returns for another presidential fight
Le Pen: 'The US model cannot be applied to France'
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012
Le Pen: 'The US model cannot be applied to France'
François Hollande: from obscurity to presidential frontrunner
FRENCH ELECTIONS 2012
François Hollande: from obscurity to presidential frontrunner
Dominique de Villepin: the man who would be president
CAMPAIGN CHRONICLES
Dominique de Villepin: the man who would be president
More links on the election
Blogging the election: Presidential Pâté
Voter voices: If I Were President...
Our weekly TV show: Campaign Chronicles
Blog: The real scoops in the race for the French presidency
Campaign Diaries on Facebook
Syndicate contentLATEST VOTER INTENTIONS
Syndicate contentGOODBYE CARLA?
Syndicate contentFRANCE 2012: THE ELECTION BLOG
Syndicate contentTV SHOWS: CAMPAIGN CHRONICLES
Slideshow: the National Front's rally in Lille
Syndicate contentAUDIO BLOG
ELECTING A FRENCH PRESIDENT

France's president is elected by direct voting for a five-year term.

Presidential elections have historically been organised into two rounds. If no candidate wins more than half of all ballots in the first round, voters must pick between the two top candidates in a run-off.

The first round of the next presidential elections in France will be held in April 22, 2012, with a run-off on May 6 if necessary.

Syndicate contentFRANCE 2012 ON THE SET
Syndicate contentHEAD TO HEAD
Syndicate contentELECTION PRESS REVIEWS
Syndicate contentSpotlight on French politics
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05.23.2012
Parliamentary Elections: A cakewalk for the left?
POLITICS
05.17.2012
French Presidency: A break with the past?
POLITICS
05.09.2012
François Hollande: A 'normal' president?
POLITICS
04.26.2012
French Presidential Runoff: Dear far-right voters...
POLITICS
04.18.2012
Presidential Election: Sarkozy and Hollande in pole position
POLITICS
04.11.2012
Presidential Election: The final countdown
Syndicate contentA COMEBACK FOR THE FAR-RIGHT?
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