May 6, 2012, is the second and final round of the French presidential elections. In the first round of votes on 22 April, socialist François Hollande won a narrow victory over Nicolas Sarkozy the first ever President to lose the number 1 position in the first round of votes. According to analysts, the May 6 poll could see a socialist win a French presidential election for the first time since 1988.
The government’s austerity policies are a major issue in the 2012 presidential campaign as Europe is facing the worst economic crisis in decades.