Socialist Party candidate François Hollande finished first on Sunday in the first round of France’s presidential elections. Hollande won 28.4 percent of the vote to President Sarkozy’s 25.5 percent, according to Le Monde. Hollande’s 28.4 percent is the second highest result for a Socialist candidate in the first round. Voter participation was high at over 80 percent. Placing first and second, Hollande and Sarkozy will advance to the second, final round of the elections.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=155137