Elections: Sarkozy victorious, but the aftermath ...
Yesterday, voter turnout was high in the elections and the scene in each quarter was similar to what you see here. Rooms were set up inside the mairie, or town hall in each arrondissement, where people voted for the two 
candidates. Unlike in the US or in Japan, no data from exit polls was allowed to be broadcast until polls closed at 8:00 p.m., meaning that the only data made available to news services was the voter turnout, which even at 6 p.m. was being reported to be at record levels.
candidates. Unlike in the US or in Japan, no data from exit polls was allowed to be broadcast until polls closed at 8:00 p.m., meaning that the only data made available to news services was the voter turnout, which even at 6 p.m. was being reported to be at record levels.At 8 p.m., early returns and the results of polls confirmed that Sarkozy had defeated Royal by an estimated 53% to 47%. It was in response to this result that some minor rioting took place not only in Paris but even here in Lyon.
I was up until about midnight last night and I heard crowds of protesters chanting in the distance and the din of police sirens went on for some time. In my area, only shop windows were broken. Apparently in the center of town, demonstrators burnt things and broke windows and challenged the police, who resorted to tear gas midway through the demonstrations.
** Never once during the night did I feel unsafe, no matter what kind of stories you might've seen on the TV. After all, I do live on the upper floors of an apartment building, in a residential area. One time it's good to live away from the city center ...
The result, as you can see, were windows broken in several places, not all shops, but the ones that were convenient targets.
My colleague who lives right near Place Bellecour in the center of Lyon, sent me a link to some of the chaos that overtook Place Bellecour. Apparently he and some friends had just gone out to get some ice cream, when the rioting got out of control and the police sent tear gas grenades into the air. Be amazed at the footage!
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posted by LyonZ @ 9:29 AM
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