Return of the Socialists
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande won France's presidential election runoff on Sunday, beating President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Hollande won the French presidential election on May 6, 2012 with between 52 and 53 percent of the vote, ousting Sarkozy, according to estimates.
Hollande speaks to the press
France's Socialist Party (PS) newly elected president Francois Hollande celebrates with his companion Valerie Trierweiler at the Place de la Bastille in Paris on May 7, 2012 after the announcement of the first official results of the French presidential second round.
Hollande was elected France's first Socialist president in nearly two decades on May 6, 2012 dealing a humiliating defeat to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and shaking up European politics.
France's newly elected president's companion and French journalist Valerie Trierweiler acknowledges the audience at the Place de la Bastille in Paris on May 7, 2012, after the announcement of the first official results of the French presidential second round.
France's Socialist Party (PS) newly-elected President Francois Hollande acknowledges the audience at the Place de la Bastille in Paris
French citizens celebrate at Place de la Bastille after Francois Hollande wins the French Presidential Elections on May 6, 2012 in Paris, France.