The French Presidential election

The upcoming presidential election will give France its strategic direction for the next five years. It could also redefine the orientation of European social democracy and EU governance more widely.

The contest is set against the backdrop of eurozone crisis, imperilled public finances, sluggish growth and declining competitiveness: never have the French been less aware of their country’s predicament.

Over the next month Policy Network will bring together French commentators and political experts to reflect on the dynamics of the election race: Can Sarkozy defy all the odds? Will Hollande’s “sit tight” strategy deliver victory? What are the wider implications of the Melenchon and Le Pen campaigns? Is the European left ready to govern?

The not so dangerous Mr Hollande

Leading with strategic prudence and steadfastness, Francois Hollande has run the most centrist campaign in the history of the French left. By Benjamin Senes

Can the Front National dominate the French right?

The spectre of a‘schwarz-blau’ coalition looms as Marine Le Pen takes aim at the mainstream right. By Gilles Ivaldi & Jocelyn Evans
 

Le Pen: a warning Hollande cannot ignore

Can Hollande bridge and balance the socio-economic anger of “la France invisible” and the vested interests of upper middle-class “insiders” and civil servants? By Renaud Thillaye


The coalition make or break for Hollande

Everyone is telling François Hollande to flirt with the surging Melenchon, but why is he not looking to Bayrou? By Renaud Thillaye

The Sarkozy offensive

In the aftermath of the Toulouse shootings, Sarkozy is likely to secure an additional electoral advantage through a strong law-and-order rhetoric, against which it is far from clear what Hollande could offer as an alternative. By Gilles Ivaldi & Jocelyn Evans


Image: Francois Hollande 2012