- Title: FRANCE: Hollande victory is splashed across the international press
- Date: 8th May 2012
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MAY 12, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ABOUT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE WINNING FRANCE'S PHOTO OF HOLLANDE ON FRONT PAGE OF ARABIC NEWSPAPER "AL HAYAT" VARIOUS OF ENGLISH NEWSPAPER "DAILY MAIL" WITH HEADLINE READING: "AU REVOIR, AUSTERITY" GRAPHIC SHOWING HOLLANDE HAVING WON 51.90 PERCENT OF VOTES PHOTO OF HOLLANDE WAVING ON FRONT PAGE FRONT PAGE OF GERMAN NEWSPAPER "DIE WELT" SHOWING HOLLANDE WITH HEADLINE (IN GERMAN) "CHANGE OF POWER EXPECTED IN FRANCE" DUTCH NEWSPAPER " DE TELEGRAAF" FRONT PAGE HEADLINE VARIOUS OF HEADLINES ABOUT HOLLANDE IN DIFFERENT NEWSPAPER
- Embargoed: 23rd May 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- City:
- Country: France
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAEPCIJWPTJ3MH3A11W2Y20JL8F
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: The news of French Socialist, Francois Hollande's victory over incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the country's presidential elections made headlines across the international media on Monday (May 7).
Photos of the president-elect, who will be the first Socialist leader in France in 17 years, were splashed across the front pages of newspapers ranging from Holland, to Germany to the Arab paper Al Hayat.
The moderate Socialist beat conservative Nicolas Sarkozy with 51.7 percent of Sunday's (May 6) runoff vote after a bruising campaign dominated by the same anger over economic crisis that has felled 10 other European leaders since late 2009.
The new president is expected to be sworn in on May 15. Hollande will travel to Berlin shortly thereafter to challenge Germany's focus on austerity policies and press new ideas for stimulating growth as fears about the euro zone's debt crisis resurface following an inconclusive election in Greece.
With anti-austerity parties winning almost half the votes in Greece, the euro tumbled to a three-month low while oil and Asian shares slumped in early trading in Asia as the two elections fuelled fears about a new chapter in Europe's crisis Hollande's clear win should give the self-styled "Mr Normal" the momentum to press German Chancellor Angela Merkel to accept a policy shift towards fostering growth in Europe to balance the austerity that has fuelled anger across southern Europe.
Merkel, who had openly favoured fellow conservative Sarkozy, telephoned to congratulate Hollande and invited him to Berlin after his inauguration. The vote ended the "Merkozy" duo that led Europe through crisis and ushers in an untested partnership.
Opinion polls taken on Sunday showed the left strongly placed to win a majority in parliamentary elections next month, especially since the anti-immigration National Front is set to split the right-wing vote and hurt Sarkozy's UMP party.
If they win that two-round election on June 10 and 17, the Socialists would hold more levers of power than ever before, with the presidency, both houses of parliament, nearly all regions, and two-thirds of French towns in their hands. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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