Hollande vows to serve France well, facing challenges

Francois Hollande has won the French presidential election against the Nicolas Sarkozy in the final polling, according to all available exit polls and partial official counts of ballots from the interior ministry by Sunday night.

  Official result with more details, to be published early next week by the Constitutional Council, is for sure to be in line with the current estimates and all previous opinion polls' prediction of Hollande's victory.

While addressing to a large number of his supporters in Tulle city, Hollande vowed to serve the country well and bring change from now on. 

Upon his inauguration, the first mission would be uniting the French people, facing all challenges and getting the country out of crisis, said the ambitious and rising political star.

"I feel proud of bringing hope to the country," he told joyful crowds in the downtown of the Tulle, where he had served as mayor from 2001 to 2008.

Hollande, leading 1.5 percent in the first round of the election, has long been forecast to win the second round. He is expected to take over from Sarkozy on May 15 by the latest and then head to a G8 meeting and a NATO meeting both in the United States.

Hollande also promised to implement his his economic plans without much delay, such as imposing more taxes on rich people and adding 60,000 teachers.

Grand celebrations for his victory have been witnessed also at the Bastille square in Paris for the whole night, an iconic place of the French revolution.

As Europe's second largest economy, France has 46 million registered voters, about 82 percent of whom were estimated to have cast their ballots on Sunday.

France's president-elect Francois Hollande and his companion Valerie Trierweiler celebrate during a victory rally at Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, May 6, 2012. (Xinhua/Etienne Laurent)

 (VietNamNet/Xinhuanet)