2012 French presidential election Facts for Kids

The 2012 French presidential election was a big event in France. People voted to choose their next president. This election happened in two parts: the first vote was on April 22, 2012, and the second was on May 5–6, 2012. The president at the time, Nicolas Sarkozy, wanted to be re-elected for another term.

Many people ran for president. The main candidates were Nicolas Sarkozy from the Union for a Popular Movement party, and François Hollande from the Socialist Party. Other important candidates included Marine Le Pen from the National Front, Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the Left Front, and François Bayrou from the Democratic Movement.

In the first round of voting on April 22, 2012, François Hollande received about 29% of the votes. Nicolas Sarkozy got about 27%. Because no candidate won more than 50% in the first round, the top two candidates, Hollande and Sarkozy, went on to a second round. In this final vote, Hollande won with about 52% of the votes, becoming the new president.

How French Elections Work
- The First Round
- The Second Round
Who Ran for President?
Election Results
- First Round Results (April 22, 2012)
- Second Round Results (May 6, 2012)
Images for kids
See also

How French Elections Work

In France, presidential elections usually have two rounds.

The First Round

In the first round, many candidates can run. Voters choose their favorite candidate. If one candidate gets more than half of all the votes (over 50%), they win right away.

The Second Round

If no one wins in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes go to a second round. This is like a run-off. Voters then choose between these two. The person with the most votes in the second round becomes president.

Who Ran for President?

Many candidates wanted to become president in 2012. Here are some of the main ones:

François Hollande from the Socialist Party. He was a member of parliament.
Nicolas Sarkozy from the Union for a Popular Movement party. He was the president at the time, hoping to win again.
Marine Le Pen from the National Front. She was a Member of the European Parliament.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the Left Front. He was also a Member of the European Parliament.
François Bayrou from the Democratic Movement. He was a member of parliament.
Eva Joly from The Greens. She was a former judge and a Member of the European Parliament.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan from Debout la France. He was a mayor and a member of parliament.
Philippe Poutou from the New Anticapitalist Party.
Nathalie Arthaud from Lutte Ouvrière.
Jacques Cheminade from Solidarity and Progress.

Election Results

Results by town for the first round of the 2012 French presidential elections.

Results by town for the second round of the 2012 French presidential elections.

The election had two main parts.

First Round Results (April 22, 2012)

In the first round, François Hollande received the most votes, followed closely by Nicolas Sarkozy.

François Hollande: 10,272,705 votes (28.63%)
Nicolas Sarkozy: 9,753,629 votes (27.18%)
Marine Le Pen: 6,421,426 votes (17.90%)
Jean-Luc Mélenchon: 3,984,822 votes (11.10%)
François Bayrou: 3,275,122 votes (9.13%)
Other candidates received fewer votes.

Second Round Results (May 6, 2012)

Since no one won over 50% in the first round, Hollande and Sarkozy moved to the second round.

François Hollande: 18,000,668 votes (51.64%)
Nicolas Sarkozy: 16,860,685 votes (48.36%)

François Hollande won the second round and became the new President of France.

Images for kids

The candidates of the Ecology primary sitting together
Hollande campaigning
Sarkozy rally at Place de la Concorde
Le Pen campaigning
Mélenchon campaigning
Bayrou campaigning
Joly campaigning
Dupont-Aignan campaigning
Poutou campaigning
Arthaud campaigning
François Hollande at a meeting during 2012 political campaign.
Socialist Party: President of the General Council of Corrèze, former First Secretary of the Socialist Party and MP François Hollande
Union for a Popular Movement: On 15 February 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he was running for a second five-year term.
National Front: Party president and MEP Marine Le Pen was selected on 16 May 2011.
Left Front: MEP, former senator and co-president of the Left Party Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Democratic Movement: François Bayrou, president of MoDem and MP, confirmed his candidacy on 22 August 2011.
Europe Écologie–The Greens: MEP and former magistrate Eva Joly
Arise the Republic: Mayor of Yerres and MP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan
New Anticapitalist Party: Philippe Poutou
Workers' Struggle: Nathalie Arthaud
Solidarity and Progress: Jacques Cheminade