In the history of French presidential elections under the Fifth Republic, no candidate has ever managed to gather more than 50% of the votes in the first round of voting and accede to power without having to get through a second round.
Until recently, the vote for a new president was perceived as an expected duel between the two favourites usually representing the right and the left (De Gaulle/Mitterrand in 1965, Giscard d’Estaing/Mitterrand in 1974 and 1981, Chirac/Mitterrand in 1988, Chirac/Jospin in 1995, Sarkozy/Royal in 2007, Sarkozy/Hollande in 2012).
