Voting in the Shadow of the Crisis. The French Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of 2012

Abstract

The most significant result of the 2012 elections in France was the ejection of Nicolas Sarkozy from the Elysée Palace, in part because of his unpopularity as an individual but also because his policies often seemed to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. The victory of François Hollande in the presidential elections and the Socialists in the parliamentary elections was also historic, because this was the first time since 1995 that there has been both Socialist President and a mainly Socialist government. The Socialist manifesto included promises of economic growth, progressive taxation, capping certain high salaries, job creation and a lower age of retirement. All this put France at odds to some extent with the dominant countries in Europe. Indeed, the economic crisis is crucial to understanding the election campaign and results and almost a third of the electorate voted either to the right or to the left of mainstream parties. The extreme right Front national did particularly well, campaigning on issues of national identity, law and order, and immigration, in particular. Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the Front de gauche set out to be the antithesis of Le Pen, and also often appealed to voters disillusioned by mainstream left and who were particularly hard-hit by the crisis. It seemed as if the more traditional working class was beginning to assert itself as a real political actor again.