Unions Fire Warning Shots At Sarkozy

(NEWSER) - Nicholas Sarkozy, a right-leaning Hungarian immigrant's son, will be the next president of France, according to initial results from the final round of elections there. Sarkozy's victory within an 85% turnout dashed the hopes of a galvanized Socialist Party, and its candidate Ségolène Royal, of placing the first woman in France's highest office. More»

(NEWSER) - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal won the first round of voting today to succeed French president Jacques Chirac, CNN reports. Based on vote counts from hundreds of polling stations, Sarkozy drew 30.46% of the votes, and Royal 24.41%. They will face each other in a runoff election May 6. More»

...But François Hollande might be even more simpatico with Obama administration

(NEWSER) - France's election was something of a can't-lose proposition for the Obama administration. On the one hand, the US isn't pleased to see the backside of Nicolas Sarkozy, an ally so steadfast that in France he was sometimes called "Sarko the American." Sarkozy, after all, was in lockstep with the US on Iran, Libya, and other foreign policy issues. Incoming president François Hollande isn't likely to be nearly as accommodating in that arena, the New York Times reports. More»

President-elect has a packed first 40 days

(NEWSER) - Following last night’s victory over Nicolas Sarkozy , Francois Hollande will have to jump right in to his new role—he will be sworn in as France’s president next Tuesday, the BBC notes. What does his election mean?

• Hollande has vowed to renegotiate the eurozone budget treaty Sarkozy championed along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but the German government today is trying to cut that off at the pass, calling it “not possible.”
• Though Hollande's election has fueled hope among many French hungry for jobs, economic growth, and the end of austerity, he faces the same debt problems Sarkozy did. Der Spiegel notes that Hollande knows just how tough is the job ahead of him: Rather than appearing celebratory last night, the unsmiling victor “seemed tired, weak, and overwhelmed,” the paper reports.

No clear winner emerges from bad-tempered debate

(NEWSER) - Nicolas Sarkozy and challenger Francoise Hollande traded insults in a televised debate French media called the "Last Duel" and the "Final Confrontation." The event—the pair's only debate of the election season—ran to more than three hours long and while neither presidential candidate emerged as the clear winner, viewers were left in no doubt that the two dislike each other, the BBC notes. Both men repeatedly called each other liars during the debate, which focused on the economy. More»