84-531: Olivier Christophe Besancenot ( French pronunciation: [ɔlivje kʁistɔf bəzɑ̃sno] ; born 18 April 1974) is a French left-wing political figure and trade unionist, and the founding main spokesperson of the New Anticapitalist Party ( Nouveau parti anticapitaliste , NPA) from 2009 to 2011. He was a candidate for the 2007 French presidential election , for the Ligue communiste révolutionnaire (LCR),
168-510: A psychologist at a school. He studied history at University of Paris X (Nanterre) , gaining a degree in contemporary history. Since 1997, he has worked as a postal carrier in Neuilly-sur-Seine , a suburb of Paris, and is often dismissed by his right-wing opponents as "The Red Postman". Along with Alain Krivine and Roseline Vachetta , Besancenot was one of three spokespersons for
252-777: A candidate are defined by the organic law of 6 November 1962. All candidates must be of French nationality and at least 23 years old (the same requirement as for the candidates to the National Assembly ). Candidates must obtain signatures from 500 elected officials (mayors, members of Parliament, elected representatives) supporting their candidacy. These signatures from elected officials (informally known in French as parrainages , but legally known as "presentations") must be from at least 30 departments or overseas territories, and no more than 10 percent can be from any individual department. A presentation from an elected official does not imply
336-513: A centre-left government. Besancenot was endorsed by British filmmaker Ken Loach , known for depictions of working-class struggles. His campaign's closing rally, in Paris, was attended by 4,000, the largest meeting organised by the LCR or its predecessors since 1968. Besancenot gained 1,498,581 votes or 4.08%, around 300,000 votes more than 2002. He is the first in votes and in dominant position among candidates to
420-488: A close third ahead of Le Pen, who obtained 13.4%). However, in working-class neighbourhoods of the north of Marseille, such as Savine ( 15th arrondissement ) and the Busserine ( 14th arrondissement ), Royal received overwhelming support, receiving 60% of the vote in Busserine. France's third-largest city, Lyon , also was won by Sarkozy, who received 34.5% of the vote to 27.3% for Royal and 22% for Bayrou. He triumphed as well in
504-472: A five-year term. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 5 and 6 May 2007 between the two leading candidates, Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal . Sarkozy was elected with 53% of the vote. Sarkozy and Royal both represented a generational change. Both main candidates were born after World War II, along with the first to have seen adulthood under the Fifth Republic , and
588-465: A former Socialist, Max Gallo , who had supported left-wing Republican Jean-Pierre Chevènement in 2002, Eric Besson , etc., passed on Sarkozy's side. On the other hand, some right-wing voters, upset by Sarkozy's attitude on law and order, immigration, and even genetics (his recent declarations on paedophilia , homosexuality and suicides as genetically induced, denounced by the geneticist Axel Kahn ), decided to vote for Bayrou. Centrist figures of
672-419: A headscarf are submissive. It's not true. Once it's a question of personal choice you can't say the person is being oppressed, as these feminists argue. For me, being a feminist means defending the right of women to have control over their own lives. I have control over mine and I've made this choice but it's not respected. These feminists don't respect it because I haven't made the same choice as them. My response
756-401: A number of issues: Approximately 200 French intellectuals expressed support for Ségolène Royal. These included the philosopher Étienne Balibar (a student of Louis Althusser ), the editor François Maspero , the historian Pierre Rosanvallon , the psychoanalyst Fethi Benslama , the philosopher Jacques Bouveresse , the sociologist Robert Castel , the philosopher Catherine Colliot-Thélène ,
840-538: A particular importance because of the generalisation of blogs and Internet pages. Journalist Jean-Marc Morandini stirred turmoil when he announced his intention of publishing results on his blog as soon as 18:00. Another problem was that the results from the voting offices in the Americas (consulates and French overseas possessions) were counted on Saturday night, and some began circulating rumours as to these results. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The first round saw
924-633: A surprising 16.9% and qualified for the second round. Immediately after the first round's results were made official, four defeated left-wing candidates – José Bové , Marie-George Buffet , Arlette Laguiller and Dominique Voynet – urged their supporters to vote for Royal. This was the first time since 1981 that Laguiller had endorsed the Socialist Party's candidate. Olivier Besancenot called his supporters to vote against Sarkozy. Frédéric Nihous and Gérard Schivardi never officially supported either Royal or Sarkozy. Philippe de Villiers called for
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#17330923454481008-562: A symbol of oppression, of submission. For my part, I'm not submissive; it's a personal choice. I'm a feminist. I fight for women's rights with my women comrades. I fight for equality between men and women. I fight for the right to abortion, the right to contraception. It's true they see it as a symbol of oppression but unfortunately they forget that there are women who wear it out of choice. A certain number of women are obliged to wear it, of course, I don't deny that, and I'll fight for these women. But you can't say that all those who've chosen to wear
1092-775: A televised debate . By around 6:15 pm local time on 6 May, Belgian and Swiss news sources such as Le Soir , RTBF , La Libre Belgique and La Tribune de Genève had announced Nicolas Sarkozy as the winner of the second round, citing preliminary exit poll data. The final CSA estimate showed him winning with 53% of the votes cast. Royal conceded defeat to Sarkozy that evening. Nationwide, Nicolas Sarkozy obtained 31% and Ségolène Royal 26% – while in 2002, Jacques Chirac had obtained 20%, and Lionel Jospin 16.18%. The right-of-centre François Bayrou obtained 18.6% this time, nearly tripling his 2002 result (6.8%). National Front (FN) candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen, made only 10.4%, compared to his stunning 16.9% finish in 2002. Along with
1176-404: A very high turnout of 83.8% – 36.7 million of the 44.5 million electorate voted from a population of 64.1 million (not including French people living abroad). The results of that round saw Sarkozy and Royal qualify for the second round with Sarkozy getting 31% and Royal 26%. François Bayrou came third (19%) and Jean-Marie Le Pen fourth (10%), unlike in 2002 when Le Pen got
1260-485: A vote for Sarkozy. Le Pen told his voters to "abstain massively" in the second round. On 25 April, Bayrou declared he would not support either candidate in the runoff, and announced he would form a new political party called the Democratic Movement . He criticised both major candidates, and offered to debate them. Royal agreed to hold a televised debate, while Sarkozy offered to have a private discussion but not
1344-610: Is mayor , voted 38.3% for him, against 26% for Royal and 21.3% for Bayrou. Sarkozy also won in the Essonne department (more than 31% against 27% for Royal), in the Seine-et-Marne (33.5% to almost 24% for Royal) as well as in the Yvelines (37.7% against 23% for Royal and 22% for Bayrou). Marseille , the second-largest city of France, went Sarkozy's way overall as he won 34.25% of the vote to 27.1% for Royal and only 14.1% for Bayrou (putting
1428-544: Is a far-left political party in France founded in February 2009. The party launched with 9,200 members and was intended to unify the fractured movements of the French radical Left, and attract new activists drawing on the combined strength of far-left parties in the 2002 presidential elections, where they achieved 10.44% of the vote and 7% in 2007 . The political party is closely associated with postal worker Olivier Besancenot ,
1512-558: Is a social-democrat, like Royal. José Manuel Barroso , the head of the European Commission, has privately discussed the idea of forming a "strategic partnership" with Mr. Sarkozy. Many U.S. pundits and western economists expressed support for Nicolas Sarkozy . Steve Forbes devoted several columns in the influential financial publication FORBES Magazine . The London-based magazine The Economist also expressed support for Sarkozy's economic platform . In 2011, according to
1596-415: Is that there's not just one way to be a feminist; there's not just one way to be a woman. We can't all be alike. We need to concentrate on what unites us, on the fight for equality between men and women, and not to say we should all dress the same way, that you can't wear a headscarf because otherwise you're not a feminist. I think that shows a lack of respect. I don't feel represented by feminists who say that
1680-473: Is to "build a new socialist, democratic perspective for the twenty-first century". Olivier Besancenot has said that the party will be " the left that leads anticapitalist , internationalist , antiracist , ecologist , feminist struggles, opposing all forms of discrimination ". The LCR's distinctive identification with Trotskyism was not continued by the NPA. Unlike in previous LCR documents, although feminism
1764-423: Is very present, patriarchy theory is not mentioned. Such issues as the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan , a rise in the minimum wage and public services, however, are accepted by all members of the NPA. The party's candidate for the 2022 French presidential election , Philippe Poutou , said in an interview for Franceinfo that he would amnesty all "political prisoners" if elected, such as members of
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#17330923454481848-565: Is work to be done in wide alliances with antiliberal parties of the left, such as the Party of the Left (PG). In January 2009, the NPA signed a joint declaration with several other parties of the left, calling for the building of the 29 January national strike. A minority (16%) claimed that such unity in the strike movements means sufficient basis can be found for joint slates at the European elections , while
1932-537: The 2012 presidential election . He was succeeded as main spokesperson of the NPA by Myriam Martin , who later left the NPA to found Gauche Anticapitaliste (Anticapitalist Left), and Christine Poupin , joined by Philippe Poutou, who was the NPA presidential candidate in 2012. Olivier Besancenot was born on 18 April 1974 in Levallois-Perret in the Hauts-de-Seine region . His father was a teacher, and his mother
2016-880: The Alsace-Lorraine region). A map of France's departments shows the candidate of the Socialist Party, Ségolène Royal, came first in the South-West and the Massif Central , which were traditional bases of the Radical-Socialist Party during the Third Republic . She also topped the poll in Brittany , except in the department of Morbihan , but a fifth of electors in Brittany voted for Bayrou. Nièvre and Seine-Saint-Denis were other departments where she came first, as well as
2100-528: The European Parliament . In 2001 and 2002, he participated in the World Social Forum at Porto Alegre . He gained national prominence when he stood for the 2002 French presidential election . At twenty-eight, he was the youngest presidential candidate in the country's history. Standing on a revolutionary socialist platform, he gained 1.3 million votes, 4.25% of the total. Among voters under
2184-505: The FLNC and ETA , and condemned France's "colonial attitude" in both Corsica and The Basque Country . Debate continues within the NPA about what sort of alliances with other groups are acceptable. The majority of militants emphasize the dangers of allying with forces which are likely to end up in joint local or national governments with the Socialist Party (PS). A minority believes there
2268-652: The Left Front in three regions, and the Left Party in two others. Since its foundation, the NPA has suffered a number of breakaways, and by the beginning of 2015 total membership had declined to 2,100, compared with 9,200 at the time of its Founding Conference in February 2009. In addition to the loss of individual members, three organised groups have left the party in order to join the Left Front: Gauche Unitaire in 2009, Convergences et Alternative in 2011, and
2352-578: The Ligue communiste révolutionnaire (LCR), a far-left political party which is the French section of the reunified Fourth International , an international Trotskyist group. Besancenot, however, eschews the Trotskyist label: Besancenot's engagement in left-wing politics started early. He joined the Revolutionary Communist Youth ( Jeunesses communistes révolutionnaires , or JCR) in 1988 when he
2436-416: The seventh arrondissement voted for 56% in favour of Sarkozy, to 20.35 for Bayrou and 15.35% for Royal; the eighth arrondissement voted at more than 58% for Sarkozy to 18.65% for Bayrou and 14% for Royal; the 15th arrondissement voted 41.5% for Sarkozy against 24.3% for Royal and 22.9% for Bayrou. The mostly wealthy Paris suburbs of the Hauts-de-Seine department, home of Neuilly-sur-Seine where Sarkozy
2520-517: The tenth arrondissement of Paris , Royal obtained 42% against 25% for Sarkozy, and 20.35% for Bayrou; in the 11th arrondissement , Royal obtained more than 40.8% to 25.8% for Sarkozy and 20.9% for Bayrou. In the 18th arrondissement , Royal obtained 41.1% against 23.4% for Sarkozy; in the 19th arrondissement , Royal obtained more than 39%, against almost 28% for Sarkozy; and in the 20th arrondissement , Royal obtained 42.4% against 23.2% for Sarkozy, and 18.3% for Bayrou. Royal also narrowly beat Sarkozy in
2604-634: The 1980s by an industrial crisis, gave a plurality to Sarkozy (29.3%), while Royal won 24.8% (and won the city of Lille ) and Bayrou received 15.6%. Marie-George Buffet barely received 5% in the constituency of the Communist deputy Alain Bocquet . The Haute-Garonne , traditional Radical-Socialist territory, voted (including its capital, Toulouse), for Ségolène Royal, giving her 33%, against less than 27% for Sarkozy and slightly more than 19% for Bayrou. The Corrèze , where Jacques Chirac began his political career as
Olivier Besancenot - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-616: The 2005 civil unrest. According to the journalist Jacques Julliard , the support of some French intellectuals for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is the root of their rallying to Sarkozy, following the creation of the review titled Le Meilleur des mondes (Brave New World). Pascal Bruckner , historian Stéphane Courtois , Thérèse Delpech , André Glucksmann , Romain Goupil , Pierre-André Taguieff , Olivier Rollin , and Pierre Rigoulot are frequent contributors to this review. Tennis player Yannick Noah called to vote for Royal, while Sarkozy obtained
2772-465: The 40% line, while Sarkozy received only 23.6%. In Créteil , she won a closer race, gaining 35% to Sarkozy's 30% and 18% for Bayrou. In the department of Seine-Saint-Denis , home to many people of immigrant origin, Royal obtained 34.2% to 26.8% for Sarkozy and 16.7% for Bayrou. In contrast, wealthy arrondissements of Paris voted for Sarkozy. The prosperous 16th arrondissement gave him 64% of its vote, against 16.4% for Bayrou and only 11.27% for Royal;
2856-684: The 5% necessary to have his political campaign reimbursed by the state. Besancenot received 4.1%, compared to 4.3% in 2002. He was followed by the traditionalist Philippe de Villiers (2.2%), Communist Marie-George Buffet (1.9%, compared to 3.4% for Robert Hue in 2002), Green candidate Dominique Voynet (1.6%, compared to 5.3% for Noël Mamère in 2002), Workers' Struggle 's candidate Arlette Laguiller (1.3%, compared to 5.7% in 2002), alter-globalisation candidate José Bové (1.3%), Frédéric Nihous (1.2% , against 4.2% for Jean Saint-Josse in 2002) and finally Gérard Schivardi with 0.3% ( Daniel Gluckstein had achieved 0.5% in 2002). The abstention rate
2940-554: The April–May shift to the far right made by Sarkozy, this has led many commentators to allege that traditional voters of the FN had been tempted by Sarkozy. Overall, the left-wing reached 36% of the votes, against 19% for the "centre", 33% for the right wing and 11% for the far right . Other candidates received a much lower share of the vote than they had in 2002, with Olivier Besancenot ( Revolutionary Communist League , LCR) failing to achieve
3024-485: The French section of the Fourth International . He gained 1.2 million votes, 4.25%, standing as a revolutionary socialist in the 2002 presidential elections . In the first round of the 2007 presidential election , Besancenot received 4.08% of the vote, just short of 1.5 million votes, placing him fifth and eliminating him from the race. In May 2011, Besancenot announced that he would not be standing in
3108-504: The NPA and criticized the reformist orientation of the party. In June 2021, almost 300 members of the Revolutionary Communist Current faction ( Courante Communiste Révolutionnaire , CCR) left the party after being excluded from participating in the NPA congress and national conference, and the rejection of the pre-candidacy of CCR member Anasse Kazib as the NPA nominee for the 2022 French presidential election . The NPA
3192-549: The NPA candidate, a worker and union activist at Ford's car plant in Bordeaux, Philippe Poutou , who came eighth in the first round with 411,160 votes, 1.15% of the total votes. She left the NPA in July 2012. At the founding conference (6 to 8 February 2009), 630 delegates voted on a series of documents, which had gone through a long process of amendment and re-amendment in local and regional assemblies. A number of contentious issues within
3276-536: The NPA continues to be active in various social movements. It produces a weekly newspaper, Tout est à nous ! (originating as a slogan to be chanted on demonstrations, the name roughly translates as "Everything Belongs to Us!") and a monthly magazine of the same name. In December 2013, the Revolutionary Marxists faction in the Fourth International declared the Anticapitalism and Revolution current in
3360-525: The NPA denounced bans on hijabs as " Islamophobic and draconian". Tony Todd of France 24 described the party's decision to field Moussaïd as "radical pragmatism" aimed at securing votes from France's Muslim community. Moussaïd describes herself as "feminist, secular, and veiled"; however, critics of Moussaïd argue that hijabs are an affront to women and incompatible with Moussaïd's values. In response, Moussaïd stated in March 2010: These feminists say that it's
3444-408: The NPA's majority would follow the lead of the most prominent figures in the group, like Philippe Poutou , Olivier Besancenot , Christine Poupin and Pauline Salingue . The party has also announced a new meeting on 17 January 2023, aimed at clearing up some of the concerns regarding the future of the party and how exactly the split will affect its course. The NPA announced in February 2010 that it
Olivier Besancenot - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-537: The No. 1 board, those for Marie-George Buffet on the No. 2 board, etc., regardless of where in France the boards were located. There were 12 candidates for the 2007 election. Four candidates consistently registered over 10% in the opinion polls and were regarded as having a reasonable chance of reaching the second round. These were the eight other candidates who obtained the required 500 signatures from elected officials to endorse their candidacy. The election campaign raised
3612-457: The PS for focusing its attention on him, and not the incumbent president, Sarkozy. Besancenot told French TV, a medium in which he found himself in greater demand, that, "It's up to the population to get there [force a revolution] one way or another"; he also told a LCR conference that the left had been failing in its opposition. One poll showed Besancenot's approval rating to be at 47%, far exceeding two of
3696-657: The Socialist party, such as Michel Rocard and Bernard Kouchner , called for an alliance between Bayrou and Royal, which might have had consequences in the June 2007 legislative elections – these determined the parliamentary majority , and decided that France would not see another cohabitation between the President, head of state, and the Prime minister, leader of the government. Former socialist minister Claude Allègre stated such an alliance
3780-404: The age of 25, he gained 13.9 percent, beating Lionel Jospin and Jean-Marie Le Pen . In the run-up to the second round of voting, Besancenot urged voters to ensure that the far-right Le Pen did not gain power, by re-electing Jacques Chirac , despite his own misgivings about Chirac's political positions. Besancenot ran again for the 2007 presidential election . His slogan throughout the campaign
3864-463: The ballot boxes. After the victory of Sarkozy in the second round, Besancenot and LCR call for "a united front of all the social and democratic forces [...] to organise a response faced to the extreme neoliberal and repressive programme of Sarkozy." This led, in June 2008, to the launching of the New Anticapitalist Party ( Nouveau parti anticapitaliste , NPA), intended to unify the parties and movements of
3948-407: The day of the election and the preceding day, so as to prevent undue influencing of the vote. No estimate can be given before Sunday 8 pm, when the last voting office closes and official counts begin to be released. However, media from neighbouring countries, which are not bound by these regulations, have long broadcast estimates ( Télévision Suisse Romande in particular). In 2007, the issue took
4032-587: The department. Le Pen. meanwhile, managed only 6.5%. Le Pen's highest departmental tallies occurred in Aisne (17.3%) and Haute-Marne (17%). Other departments to give him more than 15% were the Vaucluse (16.8%), Haute-Saône (16.5%), Meuse (16.3%), Ardennes (16.2% – where left-wing candidate Besancenot received 5.35%), Pas-de-Calais (16%), Oise (15.9%), Corse-du-Sud (15.9%), Vosges (15.7%), and Gard (15.4%), Departments where Besancenot obtained more than 5% of
4116-401: The departure of an un-specified group of people from many of the different splits and individual sectors inside the party. The new direction of the party follows "Platform B", an organisation plan aimed at being the framework of the future of the party, having gained 48% of the votes on the voted where other 2 alternative frameworks were proposed. It has been announced as of 11 December 2022 that
4200-968: The deputy of Ussel , also voted slightly in favour of Royal, as did the Creuse , one of the least-populated departments of France. The Alpes-Maritimes , part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region where the National Front won several cities in the 1990s ( Toulon of the Var , Marignane of the Bouches-du-Rhône and Orange of the Vaucluse ) voted for Sarkozy at 43.6%, while Royal received only 17.9%, Bayrou 15.0%, and Jean-Marie Le Pen 13.5%. The Vaucluse department gave 32.8% of its votes to Sarkozy, 20.9% to Royal, 16.8% to Le Pen and 15.5% to Bayrou. The Vendée voted 29.7% for Sarkozy, 21.7% for Royal, 20.8% for Bayrou, and 11.3% for Philippe de Villiers , deputy of
4284-427: The far left. The party aims to field its first electoral candidates at the 2009 EU parliamentary elections . Whilst plans were being put in place for the formation of this party, Besancenot was able to capitalise on the infighting occurring in the PS in the summer of 2008, as its members prepared to convene at La Rochelle for their annual party leadership contest. His popularity continued to increase, as he remonstrated
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#17330923454484368-445: The first not to have been in politics under Charles de Gaulle . For the first time in a presidential election, electronic voting was introduced in some areas, having been authorised in 2004. They were introduced in only 82 of 36,000 voting districts , and were criticised by a number of people, both on the left and on the right. A petition against them has also been made (see Wikinews:Electronic voting disputed in France ). Using
4452-503: The headscarf is always a question of obligation. There are a lot of feminists who agree with me, who see that I'm fighting the same battles as them, and they support me. 2007 French presidential election Jacques Chirac UMP Nicolas Sarkozy UMP Presidential elections were held in France on 21 and 22 April 2007 to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France (and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra ) for
4536-509: The historian Michelle Perrot , the economist Thomas Piketty , the historian Benjamin Stora , the anthropologist Emmanuel Terray , the lawyer Michel Tubiana (former president of the Human Rights League ), and the sociologist Loïc Wacquant (a student of Pierre Bourdieu ). Régis Debray called to vote first for a far-left candidate, then Royal in the second round. On the other hand,
4620-425: The largest of the three, Anticapitalist left ( Gauche Anticapitaliste ) in July 2012. In addition, failure to reach the required level of support in the presidential and parliamentary elections has deprived the party of state funding, leading to a financial crisis. As a result of these setbacks, the NPA is engaged in an internal debate with the aim of refounding the party and reforming its internal structures. However,
4704-629: The leader of the Taser France company, the two leaders of a private detective agency, two police officers, a retired police officer, a customs officer, and one other person – were arrested and charged with several offences related to their having allegedly spied on Besancenot and his family, including the illicit divulging of information on his private life, the violation of professional secrecy, and "fraudulent access to automated data processing systems". They were accused of having spied on them between October 2007 and January 2008. The "Besancenot affair", as it
4788-467: The left of the Socialist Party's candidate, Ségolène Royal . For the second round of the elections, Besancenot, after calling for participation, stated that, "On 6 May, we will be on the side of those who want to prevent Nicolas Sarkozy from attaining the presidency of the republic. It is not a matter of supporting Ségolène Royal, but voting against Nicolas Sarkozy.", fighting the Right in the street as well as at
4872-435: The main candidates for the PS leadership, Royal (35%) and François Hollande (31%). It was suggested in some media that, were Besancenot and the NPA to convert their popularity into votes (gaining up to a 7 or 8 per cent share), a splintering of the left-wing in France between Marxists and pro-marketeers, similar to that which occurred at the 2002 presidential elections , could happen. In October 2008, seven people – including
4956-483: The main spokesman of the former Trotskyist party, the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), the NPA's main predecessor. In March 2011, Myriam Martin [ fr ] and Christine Poupin [ fr ] were elected the main spokespersons of the NPA. In May 2012, Myriam Martin supported the candidate of the Left Front , Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the 2012 presidential election instead of
5040-464: The majority made a sharp distinction between alliances for social movements and electoral alliances. The party received 4.98% of the vote in the European election. Discussions were held in the course of 2009 with other parties to the left of the PS, concerning the possibility of joint slates for the regional elections in 2010 . Finally, the NPA presented independent lists in a majority of regions, but joined
5124-505: The normally conservative city of Bordeaux (31.4% against 30.8%, and 22% for Bayrou), as well as in Brest , Caen , Clermont-Ferrand , Grenoble , Nantes , Rouen , Lille , Le Mans , Montpellier , Saint-Étienne , Limoges , Amiens , Pau (where Bayrou finished first), Rennes and Toulouse (the historical base of the former Radical-Socialist Party ). Working-class Paris suburbs (called les banlieues ) also massively voted for Royal. This
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#17330923454485208-455: The official supports the policies of the candidate, but rather that this official considers the candidate to be a serious candidate. Candidates must also submit a statement with details of their personal assets. The Constitutional Council published the official candidate list on 20 March 2007. The candidates were listed in a randomised order. This order was used for the official campaign: thus, posters for Olivier Besancenot were always be on
5292-485: The overseas departments of Martinique and Réunion and the overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon . Sarkozy came first everywhere else, except for Pyrénées-Atlantiques , where Bayrou topped the poll in the department of his birth. The left regressed, compared 2002, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, which has traditionally favored Socialist and Communist candidates. The Nord department , hit hard during
5376-469: The party, especially those relating to secularism, religion, and Islamophobia, were left open for further debate, leading to a number of difficulties and a tendency to devote considerable time and energy on internal debates, rather than activity. The party's name was originally intended to be temporary; a vote on the name was held at the founding congress, where NPA won over "Revolutionary Anticapitalist Party" ( Parti anticapitaliste révolutionnaire ) with 53% of
5460-596: The same school as Sarkozy's offspring. The humourist Dieudonné and the writer Alain Soral supported Jean-Marie Le Pen. Actress Juliette Binoche supported José Bové. The song Elle est facho (She's a fascist) on the Rouge Sang album by singer Renaud released in 2006 gained particular media attention for lyrics in the last verse that translate as "she's a fascist and votes Sarko" Prominent political commentator Alain Duhamel
5544-626: The so-called Nouveaux Philosophes were split on their support. André Glucksmann called to vote Sarkozy, while Bernard-Henri Lévy voted for Ségolène Royal. Max Gallo , who had supported the left-wing Republican Jean-Pierre Chevènement in 2002, joined Sarkozy five years later. Pascal Bruckner and Alain Finkielkraut have also proved close to Sarkozy, although they did not declare support for him, but Sarkozy did support Finkielkraut after controversial statements made in Haaretz newspaper following
5628-453: The son of the Libyan leader Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, Sarkozy was provided with financial support from Libya during the presidential election. In 2012, Mediapart published material revealing Gaddafi's financial support to Nicolas Sarkozy for the election. In March 2018 Sarkozy was charged for corruption. French law prohibits publishing the results of opinion polls related to the election during
5712-461: The support of singers Johnny Hallyday , Mireille Mathieu and Faudel , of rapper Doc Gyneco , and former politician and current actor Bernard Tapie . He also had the support of actors Jean Reno and Christian Clavier , both residing in Neuilly-sur-Seine where Sarkozy was the mayor between 1983 and 2002 and of Gérard Depardieu . But also of industrialist Martin Bouygues , whose children attended
5796-495: The tactical voting, on the right or on the left, explains the low score of the other candidates, in contrast with the last presidential election's first round. The electoral campaign saw a polarisation of the political scene, encapsulated by the "Anyone But Sarkozy" slogan on the left. But it also saw a reconfiguration of the political chessboard, with various left-wing figures and voters deciding to support Sarkozy against Royal, who saw opposition inside her own party. Bernard Tapie ,
5880-446: The three colours of the national flag (blue, white, and red) on electoral advertisements or partisan documentation was prohibited by electoral regulations. Ségolène Royal contended that the book Ensemble ("together") published by Nicolas Sarkozy, whose cover is blue, white and red, was effectively an electoral partisan documentation and should have been covered by this prohibition. The requirements for being successfully nominated as
5964-447: The vote include Ardennes , Aisne (where Le Pen also achieved a strong results), Ariège , Allier (where Sarkozy obtained 28% against nearly 26% for Royal), Calvados (where Sarkozy finished first with 29% to 25% for Royal), Finistère , Cher, Côtes d'Armor , Creuse, Indre , Meurthe-et-Moselle, Nord , Meuse, Moselle , Pas-de-Calais (6.2%), Sarthe , Nièvre, Puy-de-Dôme , Somme, Territoire-de-Belfort , Seine-Maritime, Haute-Vienne and
6048-506: The vote. Besancenot has stated that it has no single leader and is instead run collectively, being represented by elected spokespersons. The basic structure of the party is the local committee, which organises local activities. A National Political Council decides on general policy. Delegates to the Council are elected at the congress on a proportional basis, ensuring the representation of different tendencies or platforms. The party's stated aim
6132-464: The wealthy city of Aix-en-Provence with 36.8%, against 25.4% for Royal and 19.8% for Bayrou. In Nice , a conservative stronghold, Sarkozy obtained more than 41% against 20.4% for Royal and less than 15% for Bayrou. Sarkozy also narrowly beat Royal in the industrial port of Le Havre (29% against 26.8%), as well as in Avignon , Nîmes , Metz , Nancy , and Strasbourg (these last three cities belonging to
6216-421: The writer Chloé Delaume , the historian Michel Dreyfus , the anthropologist Françoise Héritier , the sculptor Françoise Jolivet , the film-maker Roy Lekus , the sociologist Eric Macé , the philosopher Pierre Macherey , the philosopher Jean-Claude Monod the artist Ariane Mnouchkine , the economist Yann Moulier-Boutang (involved with Multitudes ), the historian Gérard Noiriel , the historian Pascal Ory ,
6300-445: Was "Nos vies valent plus que leurs profits" ("Our lives are worth more than their profits"); and he campaigned for redistribution of wealth , an increase in the minimum wage , prohibition of layoffs for profitable companies, and taxation of profits from capital speculation. He stood for political and electoral independence of the anti-capitalist left from the Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste , PS), and against its participation in
6384-424: Was "entirely conceivable", while Royal herself strongly criticised Rocard's comments. François Hollande , the national secretary of the Socialist Party and Ségolène Royal's partner, excluded any alliance with the centre-right, along with others left-wing leaders, such as Laurent Fabius or Dominique Voynet . In urban areas, most lower and middle-income neighbourhoods and cities voted largely for Ségolène Royal. In
6468-519: Was 15.4%. With an overall record turnout of 83.8%, a level not achieved since the 1965 presidential election when turnout was 84.8%, the vast majority of the electorate decided not to stay home. Most of them decided against protest votes , and chose the vote utile ( tactical voting , literally "useful vote"), that is, a vote for one of the purported leaders of the electoral race (Nicolas Sarkozy, Ségolène Royal and/or François Bayrou). The "Anyone But Sarkozy" push benefited both Bayrou and Royal, while
6552-674: Was called, received significant media attention. Libération commented, the day before the charges were confirmed: "A businessman who sells weapons to the Ministry of the Interior arrested, that's very disorderly. Particularly when he may be suspected of having had one of the most prominent politicians tailed by a private company directed by a former police officer." New Anticapitalist Party The New Anticapitalist Party ( French : Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste , [nuvo paʁti ɑ̃tikapitalist] , abbreviated NPA , [ɛn pe a] )
6636-466: Was criticised after she informally suggested support for Royal on her blog, celebrating the fact that a woman got into the second round. She said: "J'étais si contente de voir qu'une femme participera au deuxième tour de l‘élection présidentielle!" (I was so happy to see that a woman would be participating in the second round of the presidential election!) Commissioners are not meant to be politically biased in elections under their code of conduct. Wallström
6720-412: Was fielding Ilham Moussaïd, a Muslim woman, as its candidate in Avignon for that year's regional elections . The party's decision was met with criticism from "across the political spectrum" in France, as Moussaïd wears a hijab (a headscarf worn by Muslim women) and the announcement came amidst a national debate regarding the wearing of hijabs in public areas . A few weeks prior to the announcement,
6804-514: Was fourteen. When at university studying for his history licence , he formed a branch of the Confédération générale du travail trade union in the supermarket, Shopi , where he worked. In 1991, he joined the LCR. Since 1997, he has been a member of the Sud-PTT trade union. He took a break from his job at the postal services in 1999 and 2000 to serve as a parliamentary attaché to Alain Krivine in
6888-468: Was in discussion to join the New Ecologic and Social People's Union (NUPES) for the 2022 French legislative election . After the PS joined the union, the NPA announced it would not enter the coalition due to insurmountable ideological differences with the PS; they also said they would support the coalition's more radical left-wing candidates. In December 2022, the party, at the 5th congress, announced
6972-748: Was more or less expected, in particular with the high level of voter registration by suburban youths, who had been strongly opposed to Sarkozy since the 2005 riots during which he had made controversial remarks. Meanwhile, a large number of university students had participated in the protests against the CPE , proposed by Sarkozy's UMP party, in the spring of 2006; they also strongly backed Royal. She consequently came first in Nanterre , with almost 36% against 23% for Sarkozy. She reached 41.6% in Saint-Denis , against 19.6% for Sarkozy and 15.5% for Bayrou. In Évry , she also passed
7056-575: Was suspended in 2006 after a video was published on DailyMotion , where he stated his personal intentions of voting for François Bayrou. Abroad, Silvio Berlusconi , the former prime minister of Italy , gave his support to Sarkozy immediately following the first round, while Romano Prodi , the then Italian premier and leader of the centre-left Union coalition, called for an alliance between Bayrou and Royal. Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has shown his support for Royal. European commissioner and Vice-President Margot Wallström
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