Socialists elect Hollande to face Sarkozy in 2012 election

Left-wing voters chose François Hollande (pictured) to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election Sunday, with over 56 per cent voting for the Socialist moderate against 43 per cent for “old-school” rival Martine Aubry (right).

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With Hollande as their candidate, the Socialists promise to scrap 50 billion euros of Sarkozy-engineered tax breaks - money they say will be used to fund state jobs, promote growth and cut the country’s enormous deficit.

Hollande also proposes recruiting 60,000 state-employed school teachers if elected in a reversal of staff cuts under Sarkozy but has also gone to lengths to say he is no spend-happy leftist, vowing to reduce France's public deficit.

Leaders of Sarkozy’s ruling UMP dismiss the policies as a throw-back to the 1980s, but recent polls consistently show that French voters are ready to return a Socialist to the Elysée Palace for the first time in 17 years.

http://www.france24.com/en/20111016-socialist-primary-winner-francois-hollande-face-sarkozy-2012-presidential-election