Editing President of France (section)

=== Electoral process ===
French presidential elections are conducted using [[two-round system|run-off voting]], which ensures that the elected president always obtains a majority: if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrive at a run-off. After a new president is elected, they go through a solemn [[investiture]] ceremony called a {{lang|fr|passation des pouvoirs}} ("handing over of powers").<ref>{{cite web |title=Inauguration of the Presidents of the Republic |date=16 November 2012 |url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/inauguration-of-the-presidents-of-the-republic |publisher=President of France |access-date=7 October 2022 }}</ref>

In order to be admitted as an official candidate, potential candidates must receive signed nominations (known as {{lang|fr|parrainages}}, for "sponsors") from more than 500 elected local officials, mostly mayors. These officials must be from at least 30 {{lang|fr|[[departments of France|départements]]}} or [[overseas collectivities]], and no more than 10% of them should be from the same {{lang|fr|département}} or collectivity.<ref>{{cite French law |article=4 |number or usual name=n<sup>o</sup> 62-1292 |date in French=6 novembre 1962 |full name=relative à l'élection du Président de la République au suffrage universel |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=6D2C4BA80F84A2A0EC99E29519065953.tpdjo13v_2?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006068219&dateTexte=20130619#}}.</ref> Furthermore, each official may nominate only one candidate.<ref>{{cite French decree |article=6 |number or usual name=n<sup>o</sup> 2001-213 |date in French=8 novembre 2001 |full name=portant application de la loi n<sup>o</sup> 62-1292 du 6 novembre 1962 relative à l'élection du Président de la République au suffrage universel |url=http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/root/bank_mm/anglais/decree2001-213.pdf}}</ref>

There are exactly 45,543 elected officials, including 33,872 mayors. Spending and financing of campaigns and political parties are highly regulated. There is a cap on spending (at approximately €20&nbsp;million) and government public financing of 50% of spending if the candidate scores more than 5%. If the candidate receives less than 5% of the vote, the government funds €8,000,000 to the party (€4,000,000 paid in advance).<ref>[http://www.metrofrance.com/fr/article/afp/2007/04/24/070424142028_h2o7rf6h/index.xml Dépenses de campagne: énorme ardoise pour LO, la LCR s'en tire sans déficit]{{dead link |date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}, ''[[Metro International|Metro France]]'', 24 April 2007 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Advertising on TV is forbidden, but official time is given to candidates on public TV. An independent agency regulates election and party financing.