Round one to French democracy?

Yesterday’s remarkably high turnout has led some to say it’s a great moment for French democracy. Well, oui and non.

Although many commentators are heralding far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen’s “abject” fourth place in the polls, he still got just over 10% of the vote. Imagine one in ten people here voting for the BNP? Worrying.

The big winner was Sarkozy though, successfully snuffing out the threat of Le Pen on his right flank, but also grabbing enough of the centre to get above 30% (significantly more than commentators were predicting before the poll). And immediate polling just after the first round vote was announced showed most pollsters give him a healthy 4-8 point lead over Ségolène Royal. With only a month until the next poll, that’s huge.

Still, expect both candidates make a grab for the centre ground, where all those friendly, unpolarised, ever-so-nice floating voters are. As Charles Bremner suggests he must today, Sarkozy’s already trying to soften up his image:

To unite the French people, to be able to speak on their behalf, to be able to govern, you must be able to love

Ewwww.

Murad Ahmed

Comments

[Elliott Joseph]

Interesting. Le Pen's vote is a good argument for first past the post elections, of course. When it comes to turnout more broadly, I wonder if the battle for the centre will see voter numbers fall (as it has done over the long term in the UK)? Or will pro / anti-Sarko passions keep it in the 80%s?