President-elect Francois Hollande waves from his car as he drives down the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after the handover ceremony with outgoing French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
THE CATCH
Because of France's unusual power structure, Hollande's whole five-year term hinges on who wins parliamentary elections next month. He needs the leftists to take control of the National Assembly to be able to push through much of his agenda. But if Sarkozy's conservative UMP party and others on the right retain a majority, then not only does Hollande face a hostile legislature but the prime minister's job goes to a rival on the right.
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