France has now conducted its ninth presidential election under direct universal suffrage. And, for the first time in 17 years, after three consecutive defeats, the left – embodied in the Socialist candidate, François Hollande – will return to Élysée Palace. Indeed, the first implication of this unquestionably significant election is that it confirms a return to stability.
France is the largest country in Europe to have so much trouble finding its balance. Its revolution in 1789 initiated a long period of profound instability, featuring two empires, three monarchies and five republics. The French have gone through 13 constitutions in less than 200 years.
At 54 years old, the current Fifth Republic is the second longest-lasting regime since the revolution. At times, there has been talk of a Sixth Republic, which would address limited but real concerns and difficulties. But voter turnout in the latest presidential election (80 per cent in the first round, and 81 per cent in the second round) leaves no doubt: the French current system is strong, and that the French are attached to it.
In fact, Mr Hollande’s victory was underpinned not by a leftward shift among the electorate, but by voters’ rejection of Nicolas Sarkozy. Indeed, the result represents a stunning and historic defeat: during the Fifth Republic, three sitting presidents – Charles de Gaulle, Mr Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac – have been re-elected after their first term in office. Only Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, weakened by the long decline of Gaullism, was not.
Read More: A return to stability in France - timesofmalta.com
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