The 2012 French presidential elections: presentation of the table

The countdown has begun and will continue until the first round of voting on Sunday, April 22, and the second round on May 6, 2012. The President of the Republic has a great deal of political leeway, so the French must choose him wisely for the next five years.

The candidates:

Fifteen (15) candidates dream of succeeding Nicolas Sarkozy: Nathalie Arthaud, François Bayrou, Christine Boutin, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, François Hollande, Eva Joly, Hervé Morin, Marianne Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Frédéric Nihous, Philippe Poutou, Dominique de Villepin, Jean-Marc Governatori, Corinne Lepage, and Alain Mourguy. Not forgetting Mr. Sarkozy himself, who is running again.

The parties:

The candidates are distributed across the following 20 political parties:

Cap 21, Hunting, Fishing, Nature and Traditions, Stand Up for the Republic, Europe Ecology (the Greens), Left Front, National Front, Republican, Ecological and Social Alliance, Workers' Struggle, Democratic Movement, Republican and Citizen Movement, New Centre, New Anticapitalist Party, Christian-Democratic Party, Radical Party, Radical Left Party, Socialist Party, Solidarity Republic, Union for a Popular Movement, Independent Ecological Alliance and Independent Workers' Party.

The main themes:

For each party, the themes studied and the resulting proposals are as follows: employment, purchasing power, education, security, immigration, debt, retirement, Eurozone, nuclear power, defense, environment, taxes, and financial crisis.

A few words from the candidates

Jean-Luc Mélenchon: "Consider me as the candidate of the Left Front."«

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan: "...my presidential campaign for 2012 aims for the independence and freedom of France."«

Christine Boutin: "...France needs direction, hope, and enthusiasm in these difficult times of globalization."«

François Bayrou: "I am the only candidate whose program is based on realistic and credible growth assumptions."«

To be continued…