Third in the national poll, François Bayrou (18.3%) is expected to be the object of much desire in the days to come, and it is no secret that the leader of the UDF is closer to the PS than to the UMP. Jean-Marie Le Pen and the FN did not succeed in their bet to do as well as in 2002, and with a score of 11.5%, it is a big disappointment for French nationalists. Olivier Besancenot wins the duel of the anti-liberal left with a very good score of 4.5%.
If we were to analyze this top 5, Ségolène Royal seems best positioned with support just announced by Marie-George Buffet, who is the first to call her voters to vote for Ségolène Royal in the second round, soon joined by Dominique Voynet. The battle is truly launched until May 6, which will reveal the name of the next French head of state.
Setting aside the 7 million voters who supported François Bayrou, we see that the right and far-right together tally 45% of the votes, while the left and far-left have only 36%. This simple arithmetic shows which of the two candidates in the run-off would benefit most from courting François Bayrou. After initial television statements, it’s hard to say whom the UDF candidate will call to vote for, if he calls at all… On TF1, Jean-Louis Borloo, a supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy, was seen approaching François Bayrou. On the left, Bernard Kouchner renewed his wish to align the PS with the center. In the next fifteen days, flatteries will multiply. The 18% garnered by François Bayrou are so key to the second round that one might wonder if he isn’t the true winner of the first round despite his third place.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, present in the second round in 2002, challenged the choice of the French people, criticizing them for wanting to preserve the system.
The battle of striking statements has begun. Ségolène Royal wants to secure the votes of those rejecting fear, to bring a smile back to the French around a renewed France. Nicolas Sarkozy talks about uniting around the French dream.
2007 Presidential Election Figures
– Nicolas Sarkozy: 31.11%
– Ségolène Royal: 25.83%
– François Bayrou: 18.55%
– Jean-Marie Le Pen: 10.51%
– Olivier Besancenot: 4.11%
– Philippe de Villiers: 2.24% to 3%
– Marie-George Buffet: 1.94%
– Dominique Voynet: 1.57%
– Arlette Laguiller: 1.34%
– José Bové: 1.32%
– Frédéric Nihous: 1.15%
– Gérard Schivardi: 0.34%
