PARIS (Reuters) - France's President-elect Francois Hollande stoodshoulder to shoulder with ousted opponent Nicolas Sarkozy onTuesday, showing a united front after months of bitter rivalry asthey marked the end of World War II. Hollande beat Sarkozy, the conservative incumbent, in Sunday'srunoff election to become the country's first Socialist presidentin 17 years, putting an end to a bruising election campaign. In a ceremony at Paris' Arc de Triomphe, however, the two men stoodside by side in silence laying a wreath at the Tomb of the UnknownSoldier to commemorate Victory in Europe Day and the surrender ofNazi forces on May 8, 1945. The ceremony took place just days after voters in Greece, batteredby years of austerity, voted an extreme-right party into parliamentin a general election for the first time since the end of amilitary dictatorship in 1974. "The French have voted and both presidents .. had to be here topay homage to all those who laid down their lives for the country,"Hollande told reporters. "We faced each other in an election but it was our duty to be hereat this ceremony. France's citizens should feel proud that theRepublic is united," he said. Hollande, the self-styled "Mr Normal", sought throughout hiscampaign to brand himself as a man capable of uniting France afterwhat his supporters said was a divisive five-year term by Sarkozy. After a campaign dominated by anger over the economic crisis andSarkozy's unpopular presidential style and perceived pandering tothe rich, Hollande swept to victory on Sunday vowing to fight forequality and justice. "THANK YOU SARKOZY" Hundreds of people took advantage of the public holiday and turnedup at the Arc de Triomphe to watch the ceremony and pay theirrespects to Sarkozy in one of his last official acts. Some held up banners saying "Thank You Sarkozy", others shoutedwords of support for the conservative, who has said he might quitpolitics in the wake of his defeat. "He did a lot for France. It's easy to make promises to pleaseeverybody but France is in crisis and he had the courage to standup and say what everyone was thinking," a spectator calledAngelique told i TELE, speaking of Sarkozy. Hollande will be sworn in as president on May 15. His post-victoryhoneymoon is expected to be short-lived, with financial marketseager for clear signals on his policies and how hard he plans topush back German-led austerity. His inauguration ceremony will be followed by a trip to Berlin nextweek, on May 16 or 17, to discuss incorporating pro-growth clausesinto the European fiscal compact with German Chancellor AngelaMerkel. Merkel had publicly backed Sarkozy's campaign, and, in a sign ofthe tough negotiations Hollande faces, the German chancellor onMonday rejected the notion that Europe was on the brink of a policyshift. Her close allies have said they expect Hollande to have tomake the lion's share of the concessions. (Additional reporting by Matthias Blamont; Editing by AlessandraRizzo). We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Dimmable Led Light Bulbs Manufacturer , Led Diode Resistor for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits DIP LED Lighting Source.
Related Articles -
Dimmable Led Light Bulbs Manufacturer, Led Diode Resistor,
|