French presidential election, 2012
Encyclopedia
The 2012 French presidential election is the next presidential election, to be held on 22 April and 6 May 2012, the latter being used for a run-off
if necessary. President Nicolas Sarkozy
will be eligible to run for a second successive term during this election.
Patrick Balkany
and Elysée confirm that the possibility of a primary challenge is close to zero.
The Prime Minister François Fillon declared in March 2011 that Sarkozy was "the best candidate" of the right for the 2012 election.
is serving his first term and will be eligible for re-election in 2012. If Sarkozy runs for re-election he will be unlikely to face opposition from within his party.
, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was in a difficult position to run. Some Socialists called for the primary to be delayed to facilitate his running. At 13 July 2011, the closing date for nominations, Strauss-Kahn had still not declared his candidacy. On 18 September 2011, in a televised interview, he confirmed he would not be a candidate and would not play any role in the Socialist primaries.
, president of MoDem
and MP, has confirmed his candidacy on 22 August 2011.
Jean-Louis Borloo
renounced his presidential candidacy on 2 October 2011.
in September, 2011, Sarkozy was seen from domestic and German vantages both to have failed to boost his party's popularity, particularly with foreign affairs initiatives, and to have lost the ability to pursue budget proposals as he had anticipated in advance of the presidential contest.
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
if necessary. President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
will be eligible to run for a second successive term during this election.
Openly interested
On July 2009 in front of UMP Members of Parliament Sarkozy said "In the worst or at best, you still have it for seven and a half years with me!". MPMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Patrick Balkany
Patrick Balkany
Patrick Balkany is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement. He is of Hungarian origin.-Political career:Electoral mandates...
and Elysée confirm that the possibility of a primary challenge is close to zero.
The Prime Minister François Fillon declared in March 2011 that Sarkozy was "the best candidate" of the right for the 2012 election.
Hypothetical candidates
, no person has announced their intention to run for the UMP nomination in 2012. Incumbent President Nicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
is serving his first term and will be eligible for re-election in 2012. If Sarkozy runs for re-election he will be unlikely to face opposition from within his party.
- Alain JuppéAlain JuppéAlain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
, former Prime Minister of FrancePrime Minister of FranceThe Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
, current Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister of Foreign Affairs (France)Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
. He has indicated that he would be interested in running if Sarkozy does not, however he considers the chances of Sarkozy not running close to zero. He has also recognized that Sarkozy was "the only one [right-wing politician] able to win the presidential election of 2012". - Xavier BertrandXavier BertrandXavier Bertrand is a French politician and Minister of Labour, Employment and Health. He was Minister of Health for almost two years in Dominique de Villepin's government under President Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Solidarity in François Fillon's second government...
, Former General Secretary of the UMP, AisneAisneAisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
MP and current Minister of Social AffairsMinister of Social Affairs (France)The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (French: Ministre des Affaires sociales et de l'emploi is a cabinet member in the Government of France. The position was originally known as Minister of Labor...
. He has indicated that he would be interested in running if Sarkozy does not.
Declined
Copé stated in 2010: "I've always talked about [the presidential election of] 2017, but certainly not about [any other] before".Declined
Following revelations in the sexual assault and attempted rape accusationsDominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case
New York v. Strauss-Kahn was a criminal case relating to allegations of sexual assault and attempted rape made by a hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, against Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the Sofitel New York Hotel on May 14, 2011. The charges were dismissed at the request of the prosecution which pointed...
, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was in a difficult position to run. Some Socialists called for the primary to be delayed to facilitate his running. At 13 July 2011, the closing date for nominations, Strauss-Kahn had still not declared his candidacy. On 18 September 2011, in a televised interview, he confirmed he would not be a candidate and would not play any role in the Socialist primaries.
Announced
François BayrouFrançois Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
, president of MoDem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
and MP, has confirmed his candidacy on 22 August 2011.
Declined
The president of the Radical Party and former Minister of StateMinister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Borloo is a French politician, and was the French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning between 2007 and 2010.-Professional résumé:Education...
renounced his presidential candidacy on 2 October 2011.
Lead-up to election
With the electoral shift to the Socialists in the Senate electionsFrench Senate election, 2011
A Senate election was held for 165 of the 348 seats in the Senate of France on 25 September 2011. Senate members were primarily elected by municipal officials, and the number of senators was increased from 343 to 348, due to the growth of France's population since the previous election was held in...
in September, 2011, Sarkozy was seen from domestic and German vantages both to have failed to boost his party's popularity, particularly with foreign affairs initiatives, and to have lost the ability to pursue budget proposals as he had anticipated in advance of the presidential contest.