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French Presidential Election Live Tracker

Tyler Durden's picture


The second round of the French presidential election is by now well underway, with just 5 hours left in the voting day, a 30.66% voter turnout by noon (compared to 34.11% in the runoff round in 2007) according to the Ministry of the Interior, and in which the first exit polls give Hollande an expected 52.5-53% lead over Sarkozy. While not much can be disclosed by law until polling stations close at 8pm, our French speaking readers can find the best live blog of the election at Le Figaro, while for everyone else we recommend the following live feed of France24 TV in English with the best election coverage. At this point one thing is certain: it will take either a miracle, or Diebold, to prevent the official launch of Horkel (which we are more partial to, as we coined it, than Merlande), or in those rare occasions when the media establishment has has enough of being lied to, Merde.

France 24 live (click on News then Live if live feed not launch automatically):

And Le Figaro google translated live blog feed:


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Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:11 | 2400536 Vampyroteuthis ...
Vampyroteuthis infernalis's picture

I hate socialism! I never thought that I would cheer for a socialist to get rid of the Sarkozy scum though.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:13 | 2400539 cossack55
cossack55's picture

Nothing wrong with socialism that YOUR money can't fix.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:55 | 2400572 MillionDollarBonus_
MillionDollarBonus_'s picture

I am a strong supporter of the socialist party in France. President Sarkozy is a right-wing extremist, who fails to realize that France’s economy is suffering due to a lack of investment in the ECONOMY and not enough smart regulations. You can’t just let people buy and sell goods and services and hire people AT WILL without any regulations and restrictions! 

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:19 | 2400576 hedgeless_horseman
hedgeless_horseman's picture



Trés drôle of the French.  If they are going to have a socialist president they at least could have gone with the Royal fox.  

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:01 | 2400678 Colombian Gringo
Colombian Gringo's picture

You are kidding right? Even a bottle of cheap cognac couldn't make her prettier. 

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:19 | 2400765 He_Who Carried ...
He_Who Carried The Sun's picture

Le Monde is even better than Le Figaro.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:27 | 2400551 Dan The Man
Dan The Man's picture

they'll get the government they will we.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:07 | 2400585 spanish inquisition
spanish inquisition's picture

I am going to wait and see if it is any different than the US "hope and change" election. If anything, the assault on the constitution and wars to secure the corporate empire increased during the last blue/red jacket color change.

I am gonna guess (x>50%) the French with Hollande will wind up with their own version of US "hope and change". This time, it will be the citizens (oops, I mean "terrorists") necks under the freshly sharpened blade.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:18 | 2400601 rwe2late
rwe2late's picture

Hollande's major policies will be virtually identical to what Sarkozy's would have been.

The same economic policies. The same foreign policy of war and militarism.

All the political terms and slogans of the major parties have become mere advertisements tfor pretended differences.

Both in Europe and the US.

Sarkozy was France's swaggering "GWBush".

Hollande will be France's double-talking "Obama".

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 05:44 | 2402744 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

Depends on what kind of socialism. The kind where it's not the government and there's no central control sounds okay to me - the kind with consent to leave & retain your own property, or throw in to try to get long-term benefit for group survival.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:13 | 2400540 Capitalist
Capitalist's picture

Even the octogenarian would rather die than see the next president.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:16 | 2400541 eigenvalue
eigenvalue's picture

I hope Hollande would win the election. Then Euro zone could collapse sooner. I'm totally fed up with the daily charade from Europe and a range-bound Euro.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:28 | 2400553 Dan The Man
Dan The Man's picture

Yah. Got SLV...come on Eurogeddon!

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:52 | 2400568 EINSILVERGUY

Then all you have is paper

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:00 | 2400736 mick_richfield
mick_richfield's picture

Sell GLD and SLV to buy Au and Ag.


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:15 | 2400542 blabam
blabam's picture

When do the European fireworks start?

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:20 | 2400546 Vince Clortho
Vince Clortho's picture

Does the Hollande vote symbolize the desire for socialism,

or the French voters disgust with Sarkozy?

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:49 | 2400563 toady
toady's picture

I'm going with disgust for Sarkozy, but even a step or two further towards disgust for austerity, and the Euro.

This is their miniature French revolution, and remember how well that turned out (think Napoleon).

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:39 | 2400547 slaughterer
slaughterer's picture

Hollande is pro-growth: market will like that, for a few days.  

If Sarkozy wins, markets will like that as well, for a few days.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:43 | 2400557 Bazinga
Bazinga's picture

It seems the French like Hollendaise, yes?

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:48 | 2400562 rbg81
rbg81's picture

You mean "pro-growth" by borrowing $$ to spend?  That is not real growth, just the illusion of growth.  Kind of like the heroin addict who gets the illusion of bliss when he shoots up.  After a few hours, he needs his next fix more than ever.  The French are stuck on stupid--as are we.  We have put off the Day of Recknoning so long that when the pain finally comes, it will be very severe indeed.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:52 | 2400567 slaughterer
slaughterer's picture

Yes, I agree, that is why I wrote "for a few days"  I thought Peter Tchir's article on this was excellent here at ZH this weekend.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:10 | 2400589 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

Mon ami, Hollande wants to tax and spend, and Sarkozy wants to have austerity but....spend future revenue by bailing out the banks today.  Hollande will likely become another banking puppet, and also bailout the banks, for in today's political climate, is there anything else?  Either way, I am afraid, we will see the same result in the long run, so I do believe we are in agreement.


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:50 | 2400836 rbg81
rbg81's picture

Yes, I suppose.  Unfortunately, any politician that actually tries to fix these problems will get punished at the polls.  At the end of the day, people hate deficits, but they hate doing what it takes to actually fix those deficits even more.  As I said, stuck on stupid.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:38 | 2400938 niktamere
niktamere's picture

you say pro growth, yet dont know what it means

you also liked a Tchir article

very clear to me where you stand

Le thumbs down

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:53 | 2400570 toady
toady's picture

Just playing another round of chase the dragon ....

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:41 | 2400556 roadhazard
roadhazard's picture

No matter who gets elected anywhere the game is already over for everyone. FAIL has been written, it's all just dotting i's and crossing the T's now.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:49 | 2400565 Dapper Dan
Dapper Dan's picture

another possible upset

Ahmadinejad suffers major blow in runoff vote

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has suffered a major setback in Friday's run-off parliamentary election.

Media outlets in Iran reported on Saturday that results showed that conservatives backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei won more than 70 percent of the vote. They are considered to be more anti-West and hard-line than Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad, although also a conservative, is believed to have disagreements with Khamenei and his supporters have been reduced to a small fraction within the national assembly.

65 of the 290 seats in parliament went to run-offs after they failed to collect the required number of votes.

The race was largely fought among these two conservative factions, as many of the country's reformists decided not to run in the election after facing a fierce crackdown by authorities.

Sunday, May 06, 2012 09:02 +0900 (JST)

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 09:57 | 2400577 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

It seems like all States are having major elections in the next year.  Does that mean the Central Banks will keep the pumps primed?

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:39 | 2400939 niktamere
niktamere's picture

The Supreme leader is winning an electoral race against a guy who takes orders from the Supreme leader? Way to spin this one...

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:02 | 2400573 Barefooted_Tramp
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 In his constituency Sarkozy became friendly with all the big business owners (Martin Bouygues, Arnaud Lagardère, Antoine Bernheim, André and Liliane Bettencourt), whose success or inherited wealth had made them confident, yet who couldn’t or didn’t want to go into politics directly. When Sarkozy held a triumphal celebration dinner in Paris at Fouquet’s after the second round of the 2007 elections, it was attended by some of France’s biggest business owners, revealing the secret truth that the victory had been won by an alliance.

Over the last 25 years, French business directors, agents and beneficiaries of global liberalisation have maintained they should be paid in proportion to their merits, and that they are more valuable than footballers or pop stars. They have abandoned traditional discretion and display the new wealth of the haute bourgeoisie. Whether they have inherited or made their money, all have gained so much wealth through “value creation” (as neoliberal bankers and economists call it) that they behave like nouveaux-riches. France’s business schools, including the Ecole de Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), have become the new schools of power, while the old ones, such as Sciences Po, have turned into business schools.

So when a head of state with such extensive institutional and social resources fails, it is not only a personal failure but a failure for his political party and the elite who support it.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:37 | 2400594 YHC-FTSE
YHC-FTSE's picture


Edit :

Hollande seems set to win according to the exit polls, but one can never tell these days when a big business candidate is involved. The only other election I can recall that had a big disparity between the counts and the exit polls was the Bush -v- Kerry 2004 election. Oddly enough, discrepancies between the vote counts and the exit polls have been successfully used to overturn election results in the Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, and other countries, but not in the USA and perhaps now France? Not that it is likely to make a difference to the Euro train wreck, but let's hope they at least get an honest election.

Interestingly, the same thing is happening in the GOP presidential nominations: Big disparities between the exit polls and vote counts, each time the winning candidate in the exit polls (Dr.Ron Paul) being trumped by the other candidates.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:29 | 2400622 theMAXILOPEZpsycho
theMAXILOPEZpsycho's picture

I live in france and I admit I do find hilarity watching all the young business school students attend university in suits thinking they're all young entrepreneurs when in reality they'll be very lucky to get a low level beaurocrates' position...think I'm going to leave the country before long...

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:33 | 2400628 emersonreturn
emersonreturn's picture

 How viable is France?  Its sensibilities, both financial and romantic, seem nearer to Italy's or Spain's than to Germany's? 

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:05 | 2400579 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

Sarkozy is a product of the CIA.  It will be good to see him go; yet I do catch a whiff of Bush ---> Obama with the socialist taking over, but I don't know the man named Hollande well enough to know what his angle is on running France.

The French Revolution occured when King Louis the Whatever had a fiscal crisis, and history is repeating itself, so we could be on the verge again, but will people ask for more bailouts (bailouts that will go to the banking system to maintain price stability and the status quo) or will people actually realize that throwing paper at a fire only makes it burn hotter and faster, and the cure to this crisis is a revolution that will take back the money supply from the banks, the very private Central Banks and Banking Houses that do their work by proxy, so to rekindle our freedom. 

Take bake that which doesn't burn; take back your money; BUY SILVER/BUY GOLD!

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:19 | 2400600 Barefooted_Tramp
Barefooted_Tramp's picture





Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:25 | 2400615 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

So basically what you are saying is that this election will have no impact on any real issues?  Figures; the only way to change the system is to rectify the system - to change the system.  The system we currently use - electing people to make our decisions for us by letting the monied class pay for people to get elected by placing campaign bets on the figureheads - is a wash.  We must take back our freedom by taking back the money supply.  The Central Banks think they control they money supply, because they print the fiat and use gold as collateral held on their reserves to do so.  The chink in their armour is that silver too is money.  Take back the money supply.  BUY SILVER

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:47 | 2400653 Barefooted_Tramp
Barefooted_Tramp's picture

These elections do not offer a real choice (one that would make a difference). The situation is similar to the man who has been given the death penalty but still has the choice between red and green beans for his last meal. He has a choice but he is doomed in spite of it.

Don't vote!!!

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:52 | 2400665 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

I didn't vote in the '04 and '08 elections, and I won't vote this time around, unless Paul runs, then I may vote for him.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:03 | 2400583 toady
toady's picture

I'm surprised that guy is still around. He fell out of favor with the hardline mullahs before the last election when they 'disappeared' a bunch of reform candidates. He's probably next on the list. It would be an easy way to 'reset' any progress made in the nuke talks!

Dude needs to seek asylum somewhere ...

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:09 | 2400587 toady
toady's picture

Oops ...

This is a response to the 'Ahmahdinajad' comment above, but it didn't line up under it....


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:17 | 2400598 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

Eat your cake.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:02 | 2400593 carbonmutant
carbonmutant's picture

This is as much a vote against Merkel and the German regulators as it is against the French and Greek leaders...

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:22 | 2400611 max2205
max2205's picture

I can hear the hum of wire transfers to Swiss and Uk now

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:27 | 2400616 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

That is just Bernanke warming his press.  If Europe is going to bail, so will he. 

All together now!

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:31 | 2400625 RoadKill
RoadKill's picture

I hate commies. But I love seeimg them win in Europe.

A. Im betting heavily on a breakuo of the Euro and a deflationary debt default cycle, and those fucktards in Brussels are delaying my payoff (although tjey are ultimately makimg it bigger).

B. Im HOPING red blooded Americans will see how disasterous these policies are and will run in the other direction. We saw communisim be completely invalidated as a model, now we are seeing in real time how welfare socialism and entitlement states blow up. We have about 10 years before we are where Europe is demographically.. Makes the next 2 elections CRITICAL to Americas survival.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:34 | 2400632 marcusfenix
marcusfenix's picture

this is just more of the same manipulation, more of the same illusion of choice we here in America have become so accustom to.

this Hollande wasn't even a serious contender until guess who got his presidential bid torpedoed by a hotel maid?

that's IMF dominique strauss kahn was the clear favorite to win the socialist, radical left joint party presidential nomination right up until somebody decided otherwise.

just more "hope and change" "yes we can" bullshit, it plays the same all over the world, and you don't even have to look that hard anymore to see that wherever the votes are cast, the game is rigged from the start.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:47 | 2400656 prole
prole's picture

I have one question: Why didn't Angelina Jolie-Pen hold out as kingmaker? If she offered her voters to the highest bider, ie: high cabinet position for her bad self if her "king" (wretch) wins??

If these two NWO zombie-clowns are neck and neck in their farce election, she could tip the scales to either one, wouldn't one of them see that and make her an offer? (cabinet position?)

Why didn't this happen? needless to say she didn't call me, so I have to ask my fellow Sheople?

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:51 | 2400660 financial apoca...
financial apocalyptic contagion's picture

this is like Obama's election 4 years ago and Sarkozy is sorta the Bush. The similarities are uncanny

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 10:55 | 2400669 Mr Lennon Hendrix
Mr Lennon Hendrix's picture

We could have shared Obama with the French if this is what they wanted.  I am sure Obama could have come up with a French BC.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:06 | 2400688 Barefooted_Tramp
Barefooted_Tramp's picture

Nicolas Sarkozy has gained a reputation for activism and determination. If Barack Obama’s slogan has been “yes, we can”, Sarkozy’s is simply “yes, I can”.

His “can-do” attitude is a façade. Behind it lurks an underlying political immobilism which belongs to the whole political class, left and right.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:02 | 2400680 stickyfingers
stickyfingers's picture

An octogenerian dies after voting.

Over here, they die before voting.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:32 | 2400709 BeetleBailey
BeetleBailey's picture

Jesus...I thought we had it bad over here; a lying douchebag in Obama, vs a milquetoast douchebag in Romney.

The French are totally fucked.

The assclown idiot Sarkcoochie-douche and the uber Socialist asshat Hollandaise stink sauce.


I still want cage match Sarko you little shit. Looks like you're going to be out of a job soon too douchey.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 11:47 | 2400727 CryingBear
CryingBear's picture


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:03 | 2400738 falak pema
falak pema's picture

AT LEAST 53/47 in favour of Hollande at 18 hours based on exit polls, according to Le Soir Belgium. They say Sarko's party has annuled the celebration tent that would have seen his supporters celebrate at Place de la COncorde. Looks bad for daddy Sarko...

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:07 | 2400742 mick_richfield
mick_richfield's picture

Bankers   196

Humans   0

so far, we are losing.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:00 | 2400854 markar
markar's picture

could that humming sound be the deutschmark printing presses firing up? 

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:02 | 2400858 goforgin
goforgin's picture

The first official act of the so called Socialist Hollande is going to be to allow muslim women to wear potato sacks over their heads.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:17 | 2400893 AvenoSativo
AvenoSativo's picture

The Belgian broadcasting company RTBF reported at 6pm (local time; 12pm EDT) that early exit poll shows that Holland has 52,5 to 53% of votes; i.e. leading Sarkozy by 5% to 6%:

"Les premiers sondages à la sortie des bureaux de vote annoncent François Hollande en tête de l'élection présidentielle française avec entre 52,5 et 53% des voix. Selon une estimation Ifop-Fiducial pour Europe 1, Paris Match et Public Sénat, elle serait de 81,5%, soit deux points de plus que le 22 avril dernier."

The poll was done by Ifog-Fiducial for "Europe 1", "Paris Match" and "Public Senat".


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:47 | 2400957 CryingBear
CryingBear's picture


Sun, 05/06/2012 - 14:01 | 2400995 goforgin
goforgin's picture

No it's not. Sarkozy has been the under-dog all along. He was trailing Strauss-Khan(?) and then Hollande so the markets had plenty of opportunity to vote with their pocketbook or feet.

Anyway, European Socialist are more like Rockefeller Republicans. They are really National Socialists more so than Socialists as defined by Karl Marx. Karl Marx saw Socialism as a stepping stone to Communism, in Europe Socialism is a stepping stone towards National Socialism(Fascism without overt racism.)

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 14:10 | 2401036 Vince Clortho
Vince Clortho's picture

By Monday, this will be Bullish.


Also, there are no markets anymore.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 14:03 | 2401004 AvenoSativo
AvenoSativo's picture

The second French TV station "France 2" just announced that Hollande has 51.9% of vote and is declared the winner.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 14:07 | 2401008 Vince Clortho
Vince Clortho's picture

Central Planners opeing their playbook to the "Hollande Contingency" Section.


Which also contains the "Print w/ Ludicrous speed" section.
