The French presidential elections are to be held on the 22nd of April with a possible run-off on the 6th of May. Socialist frontrunner François Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy seem to have pulled ahead of rivals in recent weeks. That might indicate that the April-May election could become a clear two-horse race. But the leader of the far-right, Marine Le Pen, and the centrist candidate, François Bayrou, are still in the race. The Swedish Institute of International Affairs organized, together with the think tank FORES and the Embassy of France, a seminar on the French Presidential election.
Speakers were: Jean-Louis Bourlanges, a well known columnist who teaches at Sciences Po in Paris. He was a member of the European Parliament for the French party UDF between 1989 and 2007. Pascal Perrineau, director of the Center for Political research at Sciences Po. Annika Ström Melin, Editorial writer at Dagens Nyheter, and an expert on the European Union. Nathalie Besèr, advisor at UI, and Martin Ådahl, CEO Fores, were moderating the event.