Hard left surge in support upsets Hollande

Tens of thousands of leftists waving red flags and communist banners marched through Paris on the 18 March 2012 to the Bastille, symbol of the French revolution, in a show of strength for the hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has suddenly emerged as a force to be reckoned with in next month’s presidential election.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s surge into double figures in the opinion polls has unsettled François Hollande, the main opposition Socialist party challenger, and raised the prospect that president Nicolas Sarkozy could beat Mr Hollande in the first round of voting on 22 April 2012 after trailing him for months.

ESO: Background information: French presidential election, 2012 http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-presidential-election-2012/

Wikipedia: Jean-Luc Mélenchon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_M%C3%A9lenchon

Wikipedia: Left Front (France) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_Gauche

Website: Front de Gauche http://www.placeaupeuple2012.fr/

The Guardian, 18.3.12: Far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon calls for a 'civic insurrection' in France http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/18/jean-luc-melenchon-french-presidential-poll?newsfeed=true

France24, 19.3.12: Left-wing candidate rallies thousands for Bastille march http://www.france24.com/en/20120318-left-wing-candidate-rallies-thousands-bastille-march

The Local.fr, 19.3.12: Tens of thousands march for leftist candidate http://www.thelocal.fr/2875/20120319/

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