French Election Primer

For those of you who think all Frankish politicians are created equal, here's the 411 on the first-round presidential election our froggy friends will be protesting holding on Sunday (you didn't know there was an election? All the better!)

• The process: Several candidates are running in what amounts to a primary. The top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff on May 6
• The issues: The big issues in the French race are economic reform, how to deal with the Muslim immigrant population, and how to reform the Fifth Republic. More from FT.
• The candidates from left, with recent poll numbers: various leftists (14.5) Ségolène Royal (24), François Bayrou (19.5), Nicolas Sarkozy (28), and Jean-Marie Le Pen (14).
• The voters: are still wavering, with fully a third undecided. A French neighbor of mine - who voted absentee for Bayrou - believes votes will break in favor of his man, who would be more electable against Sarkozy than Royal.

Elections like this show the soft underbelly of European unity. Despite what seems a constant barrage of criticism for America's conservative politics from Europe, the reality is that they have parties with significant support both to the right and left of our major parties (see this BBC story). The U.S., despite what you read, is a remarkably centered country.