Abstract
There were ten candidates for the French presidency in 2002, five of whom were real contenders. Hollande was challenged from his left by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a former socialist who allied with the Communists. Sarkozy was flanked on his right by the National Front, energized by the Marine Le Pen, who embarked on a new campaign of apparent moderation that masked a continued anti-system politics of racism and exclusion. A third challenge was presented by Centrist Francois Bayrou. Counting fringe candidates half the voters preferred neither Hollande nor Sarkozy, each of whom could appeal to only a quarter of the electorate. France’s traditional governing parties were in crisis.
Keywords
Socialist Party Electoral District Immigrant Concentration European Currency Legislative Election
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Notes
- 1.See the tables in the Appendix for a list of candidates and results.Google Scholar
- 2.Personal interview, Valérie Lafon, June 28, 2013.Google Scholar
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© Irwin Wall 2014