Sarkozy - 3 comments

The Wikipedia has full results from the French presidential election, and links to this rather nice map that breaks down the second round results by département.

Dave Osler posts about the possibility of "resistance" to the new president from the left. It's hard to take that seriously. No fewer than 18,983,408 people voted for Sarkozy, nearly 2.2 million more than voted for Royal, which is a pretty clear democratic mandate. The feeling of resignation, and the lack of enthusiasm for Royal that I've felt from French socialist supporters, tells me this is a result that people will - as they should - accept, whatever they individually feel about the policies that will emerge.

Attempts to thwart the democratic mandate will just make the French left look ridiculous, irrelevant, and stiffen the resolve of those in government who want to take on the bastions of left-wing power. I imagine statements like Marie-George Buffet's:

It is necessary to assemble to block the politics that the right is going to set in motion. I make an urgent call for the mobilisation of all the forces of the left to organise a ripost.

Are just rhetoric intended to give disappointed supporters a lift. Incidentally, her 1.93% first round result was the lowest result ever for a Communist presidential candidate in France.