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After the run-off polling on May 6, the French presidentialelection eventually lowered its curtain. Fran ois Hollande, the57-year-old Socialist candidate who has been in a leading positionsince the very beginning of the campaign, beat Nicolas Sarkozy, whowas seeking re-election, to become the seventh president ofFrance's Fifth Republic. He is also the first Socialist to occupythe Elys e after former President Fran ois Mitterrand's 14-yearpresidency expired in 1995. With no interior dissension within the Left camp or the Right camp,the battle between Hollande and Sarkozy was of unusual sharpness.Hollande topped the opinion polls throughout the campaign, whileSarkozy narrowed the gap step by step. Hollande won the runoff with51.63 percent of the vote to Sarkozy's 48.37 percent. Looking back at Sarkozy's term over the past five years, manyFrench people were dissatisfied with the performance of hisadministration and his personal style. Moreover, impacted by theunprecedented financial crisis in recent years, France is miredwith heavy public debt and soaring unemployment. Voters feltdisappointed over economic prospects. The Sarkozy administrationcould hardly absolve itself of all blame. During the campaign, Sarkozy boasted his own ruling experience andability. He said it was his policy that had saved France fromfalling into the risk of the severe debt crisis along with Greeceand Spain. On the contrary, Hollande emphasized social justice. Heput forward about 60 new economic programs during the campaign, andpresented himself as just the opposite of his rival in his concernfor people's well-being as well as his ability to overcome thecurrent difficulties. The result of the election shows though French people do not fullybelieve in the ability of Hollande due to his lack ofadministrative experience, they are tired of Sarkozy and eager forchange. Also, the modest and fresh image that Hollande tried topresent was in sharp contrast with Sarkozy's flashy and capriciousbehavior, which also contributed a lot to Hollande's victory. After winning the presidential election, the Socialist Party isvery likely to win more seats than other parties in the upcomingparliamentary election and then set up a majority government.French politics could turn a new page. Hollande has never held ministerial office, so nothing can provehis governing ability. He is also a new face in the internationalarena, lacking experience in dealing with external affairs. In thecampaign, his opponents said his lack of experience in nationalgovernment made him unfit for the task of leading the world's fifthlargest economy in a crisis. After assuming office on May 15, Hollande does have to face manyharsh realities domestically and internationally. How the newpresident deals with those difficulties has aroused concern of bothFrench people and the international community. The primary task for the new occupant of the Elys e might befinding policy answers for the current economic problems of France.The current French economic malaise is rooted in many long-termstructural flaws and the bad international backdrop. Hollande'smanifesto in the campaign was denounced by his opponents asimpractical slogans to keep voters happy. After he takes office, itis true that he has to consider more of the feasibility of hispolicies. Therefore, an awkward dilemma can hardly be avoided forthe new president. His election promises might contradict thereality of the government's shrinking fiscal capacity and its aimto cut public debt. The large funds needed to implement hiscommitments are still in the air. Meanwhile, necessary reforms forovercoming the current crisis might meet resistance from thepublic, which will eventually hurt Hollande's intentions of beingclose to the people. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Printed Circuit Board Fabrication , PCB Prototypes for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Rigid PCB Board.
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