Definition of Runoff Election

What is the definition of a "runoff" or "runoff election"? What does it mean if there is a "runoff"?

A "runoff" is a final election that occurs when an initial election does not produce a winner.

For instance - in the French Presidential elections, a number of candidates (10 in 2012) participated in an initial election, with the two leading candidates (those with the two highest number of votes) facing off in a "runoff" later in the year.

In this case, the "runoff" would be the final election between the two leading candidates - in this case, Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande.

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