Hollande elected as president of France - CNN

PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande has become the most unpopular French president on record, an opinion poll showed on Monday, with the Socialist leader hit by anger over tax hikes, unemployment and rows over the government's immigration policy. Hollande's popularity has sunk to 26 percent of those surveyed, the first time the BVA poll has seen a French president's approval ratings fall below 30 percent.

Saint-Denis de la Reunion (AFP) - Francois Hollande's spurned girlfriend turned poison pen has skipped France for the Indian Ocean isle of Madagascar, a day after dropping a bombshell with her best-selling kiss-and-tell about life with the president.

Wolf Richter   www.wolfstreet.com   www.amazon.com/author/wolfrichter

French elections are done in two rounds. The top two candidates by popular vote square off in round two. Things do not look good for French president Nicolas Sarkozy, especially for round two. However, he may not make it that far.

A few days ago it was that other great egaliatarian president, Barack Obama, who urged Americans to tear free from the shackles of cynicism and to unleash some more of that hopium that got Obama elected in the first place. Now it is the turn of that other just as impressive socialist, France's own Francois Hollande, who just like Obama has seen his popularity rating crumble to unprecedented levels, come up with his own prescription for how to fix the troubles that ail France.