Late in the evening of February 15 French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced about his intent to run in the forthcoming presidential election for the second term in the office. Presidential elections will be held in two rounds with the first one slated for April 22 and the second for May 6. In a program of TV channel TF1 he promised to the French people that if he is elected the head of the state he will initiate referendums and will reduce unemployment. The president believes that he deserves the voters’ trust, particularly, because the reforms initiated by him have already had results. “Economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2011 in France was higher than in other countries. The things we’ve done to modernize universities, reduce payments of enterprises, and what we are doing to enhance the competitiveness of our businesses need to be accomplished in order to change the education of the unemployed, national education, and to continue making necessary efforts to reduce payments,” he provided argument in favor of his candidature.
The official statement made by Sarkozy about his participation in the forthcoming elections has caused a wave of support in his camp. The leader of the party Union for a Popular Movement Jean-Francois Cope greeted the decision made by the president and stressed that Sarkozy had expressed his “love for France and joy to be a Frenchman.” He shares the view of Sarkozy that “now we all together have to get up and get on service of France, which is gaining strength to protect each of our citizens and to ensure their positive future.” The Prime Minister Francois Fillon also supports the candidature of his boss saying that Sarkozy “speaks to French people sincerely and with an open heart, and that he stands for strong France capable of protecting its citizens.”
The opposition camp has a completely different opinion about Sarkozy. The centrist candidate Francois Bayrou said the following: “The most impressive part of Sarkozy’s speech is that he has been repeating the same words, the same phrases, and the same examples for quite a few months now.” The leader of Democratic Movement thinks that most of French people want to change the captain because of whom the ship has hit a reef. Socialists have dully reacted to the statement of the president following the party strategy adopted several days ago to minimize this event. During the meeting in Rouen Francois Olland couldn’t refrain from irony: “We knew this news weeks and years ago! The truth is that President Sarkozy has been a candidate for five years already. Right after he was elected he began a new campaign. Once he got comfortable in the presidential chair he immediately imagined his release.” The member of the election campaign headquarters of the Socialist Party candidate and the leader of the Left Radical Party Jean-Michel Bayle called the candidature of the president the “repeat candidate” emphasizing his “triple failure: unemployment, deficit, and purchasing capacity.” “He does not suggest any new ideas or prospects to the French people,” Bayle said.
According to the surveys, today the Socialist Party candidate Francois Olland has every chance to win these elections. He can beat Sarkozy at 14 to 15 percent in the second round of voting.
Is current president of France standing no chances indeed to win this election? How can the election of Olland affect the relations between France and the EU?
COMMENTARY
Jean-Michel DEMETZ, deputy chief editor of L’Express:
“Today Sarkozy has almost zero chances to win the election, according to the surveys. According to any survey, he can not be elected. However, the campaign has really only began now. In 2007 Sarkozy showed that he could be a good candidate during the campaign: lively, energetic, and resourceful.
“Obviously, Francois Olland’s victory in time of crisis is a major concern for European governments. He does not have any international experience; he announced a desire to revise the budget law after March 1. None of the European governments wants this to happen. He is also a pragmatist sensitive in the struggle for power and I think he will quickly adjust and will forget his election campaign promises. He will not risk isolation of France concerning Germany.”
