On the first round, the Front National, led by Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, placed far ahead with over 40% of the vote, 14 points ahead of the lead right-wing candidate Christian Estrosi of The Republicans and 24 points ahead of the incumbent party list, that of the Socialist Party, whose lead candidate Christophe Castaner decided to withdraw the list from the second round, to allow Christian Estrosi a one-on-one round with the National Front.

The right-wing list took the presidency of the regional council after 17 years of Socialist rule under Michel Vauzelle, who did not seek reelection.

Following the 1999 and 2003 electoral reforms, with a first implementation in 2004, a two-round runoff voting system is used to elect the regional presidents.

In the regional council there are 123 members, and they are elected in the 6 departments(4 members for Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 4 for Hautes-Alpes, 28 for the Alpes-Maritimes, 47 for the Bouches-du-Rhône, 27 for the Var and 13 for Vaucluse Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur uses a two-round runoff system to elect the regional president, and if not candidate win at least 50% on the first round there are another and definitive round.

Christian Estrosi won the second round with nearly 55% of the vote, thanks to the withdrawal of the left-wing list of Christophe Castaner.