Here's a Nice Summary of the French Elections

For those who want to bring themselves up to date for the French presidential elections that will take place at the end of the month, here at Angus Reid Global Monitor is a nice summary.


[Thanks to news.yahoo.com/Reuters for the photo montage.]

The results of these elections will be critical to the French economy and social life. If the left is voted in, you can be sure more capital will flee the country and certain stocks will take a plunge. (Not all: See this comment at Seeking Alpha about which industries will be hurt and which will be helped.) On the other hand, if the right wins, there will be unrest in the streets.

Keep your eyes and ears open on April 22, when the first round of voting takes place. I'm betting on Sarkozy (right) at the moment; but you never know with French politics. It's pretty sure we'll get two finalists, but who they will be is still uncertain. Maybe Sarkozy and Bayrou (right and center), or Sarkozy and Royal (right and left), and I suppose there's a chance of a Sarkozy/Le Pen situation (right and far right.) And who knows, maybe we'll get a Royal/Bayrou or Royal/Le Pen. From there on in, it's anyone's guess.