Well, perhaps the french people are their own worst enemy, but if YOU are comfortable it's just human nature to want to hang on to it, and the statis quo. I read in the news a few months back that someone in the government in Sweden was proposing lowering taxes and making the people more responsible for some of the things the state takes care of, and their was a huge outcry against doing that. Once given, it's not easy to take away. France, as in all countries, has internal issues that need addressing, but it's up to them to try to resolve them. I wish the U.S. would have an 85% voter turn out. I thought that was amazing.

I guess from previous concversations here there is no total of the voters who voted and didn't vote from either of the two. Or did all the 85% who turned out vote for the two?

some abstained voting all together but apparently not many.

but i wonder if Sarkozy got a 50% majority of the total vote and if there is some tally of those who voted but didn't vote.

Yes, PalenQ, there is a count of the blank and void votes, even though they are declared invalid and not mixed with the valid votes. In the second round, the total 'blank or void' ballots represent 4.20%. If those people had chosen a candidate, it could have made a difference.

Dinosaurs were very comfortable with the status quo, too.

Better to have a leader elected with 53% of the vote than one elected with 49% of the vote.

The best part of the election is that I can go to France again. ((*))

?? The best part of the election is that I can go to France again. ??

Legislative campaign in progress.