It's (almost) Final! Carla Bruni Out in France!

Oh, And what's his name, too: Socialist Hollande beats Sarkozy in French presidential poll

Left-wing candidate François Hollande has defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in Sunday's runoff, exit polls say, becoming the first Socialist to win a presidential election since François Mitterrand in 1988.

François Hollande has won France’s presidential election, giving the country its first Socialist president in almost two decades, exit polls showed Sunday.

Just exit polls, huh?  Maybe we can still hope for a miracle. Not that the French deserve one.

According to Ipsos polling institute, the left-wing candidate took 51.7% of the vote to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy’s 48.3%.

Celebrations are underway at the iconic Place de la Bastille in central Paris, the same spot where the last Socialist to win a presidential election, François Mitterrand, celebrated his first victory back in 1981.

Shocking that the lesson of socialism in France actually lasted from 1995, when Mitterrand left office, to today. I wonder if, and when they'll learn the lesson this time around.

Hollande, who voted on Sunday in the central Corrèze region, which he represents in the French parliament, was considered the frontrunner throughout the campaign, at times leading his rival by as much as 10% in opinion polls. He finished ahead in the first round on April 22, claiming 28.63% of votes cast against Sarkozy's 27.18%.


In a twin blow to Sarkozy between the two rounds, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist François Bayrou, who gathered around 18% and 9% respectively in the first round, both denied the incumbent an endorsement. Bayrou told supporters his personal vote would go to Hollande, while Le Pen said she would cast a blank vote.

It's really a sad day when a nude posing supermodel, rock star millionaire heiress, can't carry her husband into office.

Oh, well, maybe Nick will have to stay home with the kids, while Carla goes back to posing, singing and playing guitar.

From CAC at Ace's, this map of the "ever shrinking, semi functional parts of Europe":

Thanks to Wombat-Socho for taking my early submissions for the weekly Rule 5 link around at The Other McCain's "I Need to Know", and also to The Classical Liberal who linked it with "She's the Woman."