The 2012 French Presidential Elections ― The Inevitable Alternation

The 2012 French Presidential elections marked a watershed moment for the French Left, marking their return to a full term of executive power for the first time since 1981. From early in the campaign, the victory of Francois Hollande appeared inevitable, given the unpopularity of the Right-wing incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the economic crisis afflicting France. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the lead-up to the Presidential elections, including the political landscape, the candidate selection and the campaign. It looks at how each of the ten candidates set out their policy alternatives, and how the Right in particular failed to present the united front necessary to defeat a coherent Left challenge. It also examines the events and outcomes of the subsequent legislative elections, to understand whether these constituency elections now represent anything more than an early plebiscite for the newly elected president.

Jocelyn Evans is Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds, UK. He has published widely in the fields of French politics, European voting behaviour and the Extreme Right.

Gilles Ivaldi is a Researcher in Political Science with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the university of Nice, France. His main fields of research include French politics and the study of radical right parties in France and Europe.