Francois Hollande to become next French President

Francois Hollande will be the next French president according to early exit poll data.
The socialist candidate faced the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy after the two gained the most votes in the first round of voting two weeks ago.  Exit Poll released on French television at 7.00pm (8.00pm local time) showed that Hollande got around 52% of the votes, with Sarkozy about 48%.
Hollande supporters are gathered at the Place de la Bastille in Paris. Cheers echoed across the area as the exit poll was released. The last socialist president was Francois Mitterrand who ruled from 1981 – 1995.