Sources: Our post of April 7 and France public holidays. Last night's victory by center-right presidential candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy, means that the restoration of the Whit Monday public holiday (one of the Socialist Party's Manifesto promises), is unlikely. Analysis: Technically, the socialists could still win the upcoming legislative elections (June 10 and June 17) and thereby force the selection of a socialist Prime Minister who would declare Whit Monday a public holiday. However, after last night's defeat of Mrs. Royal, the socialist candidate, it seems that the socialists are going to tear themselves apart, with Laurent Fabius (Prime Minister from 1984-1986, and living off taxpayers for the last 21 years) trying to steer the socialists towards the extreme left, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn (former Finance Minister, generally respected on all sides of the political spectrum) trying to make the French Socialist party into a modern, center-left party, compatible with all the other socialist parties in Europe. In that context it is unlikely that the socialists will get a majority in the legislative elections next month.
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