Hollande's victory: The world ponders a major shift

François Hollande's victory may represent change for not just France, but Europe as a whole.

People sit down to admire the view of the Eiffel tower in Paris Monday, May 7, one day after the second round of the Presidential elections. (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

Libération (France)

For Better or worse, France is no longer the same, Bernard Guetta

“[T]his French presidential campaign has shown the face of change in the European Union, and one could almost believe the utopia of the United States of Europe has taken shape.

It’s far from the same case, but France is becoming more European than ever, and the issues of Europe have been, for the first time, at the heart of a national election in one of its member countries, France, and it could impact the entire EU, just as a change in California could precipitate a change in the United States.

…

A European political landscape has emerged from this presidential election in France, and the future politicians of the EU will depend on the results of France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Germany – a pan-European balance of power between liberals and social democrats.”