Hollande defeats Sarkozy 51.62 pct to 48.38 pct
Associated Press, Paris | World | Mon, May 07 2012, 3:43 PM
Final results from France's presidential election show Francois Hollande narrowly defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy with 51.62 percent of the vote.
Interior Ministry figures released Monday morning show the outgoing Sarkozy garnered 48.38 percent of the vote, giving Hollande a winning margin of 1.13 million votes.
Voter turnout was 80.34 percent, about the same as in the first round of voting April 22.
Hollande is pledging to buck Europe's austerity trend and NATO's timetable for Afghanistan.
His allies are now jockeying for government jobs. Sarkozy's conservative party is turning its sights to upcoming parliamentary elections to try to hold onto its majority despite a wave of support for the left.
