'The Elysee is ours'
8 May 2012 1:39 AM GMT
Jubilant left-wingers thronged the Bastille, a Paris square synonymous with the French Revolution, to celebrate the triumph of Hollande.
'Sarko, it's over!' was the cry from the tens of thousands who gathered in the eastern plaza to wa it for Francois Hollande to arrive to give a victory speech.
Champagne corks and red smoke flares popped as Hollande's face appeared on giant screens set up near the stage the president-elect was due to speak around midnight after flying back from his central hometown of Tulle. 'The Elysee is ours!' 'We have won, we have won!' chanted the crowd after hearing that right-wing incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy had lost the vote.
Hollande follows in Mitterrand's steps
Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande became the second left-wing president, after Francois Mitterrand, founder of the French Socialist Party, served two seven-year terms as president from 1981. He is regarded by many as an affable moderate whose quiet - some even say dull - manner contrasts sharply with the intensity and glamour of conservative president Sarkozy, BBC reported.
The president-elect, born 12 August 1954 in northern France, has a shining education background, though he has never held a government post at the national level. He was mayor of Tulle in central France from 2001 to 2008, as well as a member of parliament. However, Hollande has never held a government post at the national level, which bothered some French voters and cast doubts over his ability to lead the country out of its economic crisis.
Bespectacled and with a scholarly air, Hollande has successfully portrayed himself as a 'normal president' as opposed to hyperactive Sarkozy, taking advantage of the public's disappointment with the incumbent president. In his campaign for president, Hollande pledged to fight record high unemployment, including hiring 60,000 more teachers in his term in addition to creating 150,000 state-aided jobs.
Hollande opposed a financial policy solely based on austerity, and planned to open negotiations on the European fiscal pact reached last December by adding new clauses focusing on economic growth and job creation. He pledged to reach a zero budget gap in 2017 and urged the establishment of a European rating agency. The Socialist also proposed a 75-per cent tax rate on those who earn over 1 million euros ($1.3 million) a year, and an increase in the minimum wage.
On foreign policy, Hollande said he would pull out French combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and would only intervene in foreign countries under the UN mandate in the future. Hollande took the people by surprise in the only TV debate against the incumbent for being unusually aggressive, revealing more strength and potential. Hollande has four children with Segolene Royal, who failed to challenge Sarkozy in the 2007 election. His life companion now is Valerie Trierweiler.  Â
World leaders welcome Francois
World leaders including US president Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Francois Hollande on his victory in the French presidential elections on Sunday. In a phone call made to Hollande after the results were announced, Obama said he looked forward to working closely with the French president-elect and his government on a range of shared economic and security challenges.
'President Obama noted that he will welcome President-elect Hollande to Camp David for the G8 Summit and to Chicago for the NATO Summit later this month, and proposed that they meet beforehand at the White House,' a White House statement said. Obama and Hollande each reaffirmed the important and enduring alliance between the people of the two countries, the statement said.
Merkel extended an invitation to Hollande in a phone call on Sunday night to visit Berlin as soon as he formally takes office in mid May, said Steffen Seibert, spokesman at the German chancellor's office. German President Joachim Gauck also wished Hollande 'good luck' for his five-year term for the service of France and Europe, a presidential spokesman said.
Cameron and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo also extended their congratulations to Hollande, while vowing to work for a close partnership in the future. Calling Hollande's election a 'historic event', German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said both sides should keep on cooperating closely in implementing the European Union's policies and coping with the common challenge.
China willing to work with France
China said on Monday that it was ready to work with France after the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president, amid concerns his victory could derail Paris's deficit-cutting plan. 'China is ready to work together with the French side. To deal with bilateral relations from a strategic and long term perspective,' said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a briefing.
'China believes that maintaining a positive momentum of the healthy and steady development of China-France relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also world peace, stability and development,' he added.     Â
'Sarko, it's over!' was the cry from the tens of thousands who gathered in the eastern plaza to wa it for Francois Hollande to arrive to give a victory speech.
Champagne corks and red smoke flares popped as Hollande's face appeared on giant screens set up near the stage the president-elect was due to speak around midnight after flying back from his central hometown of Tulle. 'The Elysee is ours!' 'We have won, we have won!' chanted the crowd after hearing that right-wing incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy had lost the vote.
Hollande follows in Mitterrand's steps
Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande became the second left-wing president, after Francois Mitterrand, founder of the French Socialist Party, served two seven-year terms as president from 1981. He is regarded by many as an affable moderate whose quiet - some even say dull - manner contrasts sharply with the intensity and glamour of conservative president Sarkozy, BBC reported.
The president-elect, born 12 August 1954 in northern France, has a shining education background, though he has never held a government post at the national level. He was mayor of Tulle in central France from 2001 to 2008, as well as a member of parliament. However, Hollande has never held a government post at the national level, which bothered some French voters and cast doubts over his ability to lead the country out of its economic crisis.
Bespectacled and with a scholarly air, Hollande has successfully portrayed himself as a 'normal president' as opposed to hyperactive Sarkozy, taking advantage of the public's disappointment with the incumbent president. In his campaign for president, Hollande pledged to fight record high unemployment, including hiring 60,000 more teachers in his term in addition to creating 150,000 state-aided jobs.
Hollande opposed a financial policy solely based on austerity, and planned to open negotiations on the European fiscal pact reached last December by adding new clauses focusing on economic growth and job creation. He pledged to reach a zero budget gap in 2017 and urged the establishment of a European rating agency. The Socialist also proposed a 75-per cent tax rate on those who earn over 1 million euros ($1.3 million) a year, and an increase in the minimum wage.
On foreign policy, Hollande said he would pull out French combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and would only intervene in foreign countries under the UN mandate in the future. Hollande took the people by surprise in the only TV debate against the incumbent for being unusually aggressive, revealing more strength and potential. Hollande has four children with Segolene Royal, who failed to challenge Sarkozy in the 2007 election. His life companion now is Valerie Trierweiler.  Â
World leaders welcome Francois
World leaders including US president Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Francois Hollande on his victory in the French presidential elections on Sunday. In a phone call made to Hollande after the results were announced, Obama said he looked forward to working closely with the French president-elect and his government on a range of shared economic and security challenges.
'President Obama noted that he will welcome President-elect Hollande to Camp David for the G8 Summit and to Chicago for the NATO Summit later this month, and proposed that they meet beforehand at the White House,' a White House statement said. Obama and Hollande each reaffirmed the important and enduring alliance between the people of the two countries, the statement said.
Merkel extended an invitation to Hollande in a phone call on Sunday night to visit Berlin as soon as he formally takes office in mid May, said Steffen Seibert, spokesman at the German chancellor's office. German President Joachim Gauck also wished Hollande 'good luck' for his five-year term for the service of France and Europe, a presidential spokesman said.
Cameron and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo also extended their congratulations to Hollande, while vowing to work for a close partnership in the future. Calling Hollande's election a 'historic event', German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said both sides should keep on cooperating closely in implementing the European Union's policies and coping with the common challenge.
China willing to work with France
China said on Monday that it was ready to work with France after the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president, amid concerns his victory could derail Paris's deficit-cutting plan. 'China is ready to work together with the French side. To deal with bilateral relations from a strategic and long term perspective,' said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a briefing.
'China believes that maintaining a positive momentum of the healthy and steady development of China-France relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also world peace, stability and development,' he added.     Â
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