Historic victory for the Left in France

[Rabid]

In yesterday's elections, results confirmed and validated today, the Senate of the French Republic, one of the two houses of our Parliament, has for the first time in the history of the 5th Republic seen the election of an absolute majority of Senators from the Left. More than half of the Senators are now from either the Parti Socialiste or other left-wing political parties.

The Senate, with senators elected by the half million of "Grands Electeurs" (composed of the various local elected officials, the majority of them presiding over rural areas), was traditionally a bastion of the Right. Because of this, the results of yesterday's elections are a little revolution in themselves.

It goes without saying that the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP, Union for a Popular Movement, the party of Nicolas Sarkozy) is now shitting its collective pants.



More infos on the subject from the english-speaking world :

telegraph.co.uk
presseurop.eu
english.ahram.org.eg (outdated, from an egyptian paper ; the most helpful article to understand the subtext of the election)

[Phantasee]

Well, those articles were very illuminating! It's interesting that the Right has lost every election since Sarkozy's. Is this reflecting a general trend to the Left by the whole population (including the rural population) or just dissatisfaction with Sarkozy's administration?

[Rabid]

Honestly, I don't know, and I don't think anyone can tell at this point. I hope it is the former, but it could "just" be the latter. What I can say, anyhow, is that in my personal entourage or at work I know less than 10% of people that I could identify as possibly voting for Sarkozy's party. Something like 75% of the people I meet are Leftists ; but I may be biased as my family is communist-leaning and I'm currently studying in a campus full of young students, living in a city with a Socialist Mayor, in a Metropolitan Area with a strong industrial past, where some of the biggest cities are held by Communist Mayors.


Someone on the TV remarked, though, that the Right had difficulties to "renew" its ranks (replacing those that leave the political arena). This guy suggested that it was, "surprisingly", because the people that could ordinarily be interested in joining the political arena on the Right side of the play-field (charismatic peoples with right-wing ideals), rather than getting involved in Politic, tend to prefer to stay in the private sector and create their own enterprises.

Make of this statement what you will.

[Surlethe]

Well, those articles were very illuminating! It's interesting that the Right has lost every election since Sarkozy's. Is this reflecting a general trend to the Left by the whole population (including the rural population) or just dissatisfaction with Sarkozy's administration?

Well, Sarkozy was elected in 2007, right when the economy was at the peak of the last business cycle. Any party in power when the economy tanks always loses.