Posts Tagged "Nicolas Sarkozy"

Second thoughts on the second round

It is less than 24 hours since François Hollande won the presidential election and I can see the clouds gathering already.

After a safe campaign, the Right in government for ten years, and a victory in the debate against the least popular president in history, we are left with just 51.8% to show for it.

Those who said the campaign could not be lost have been proven wrong. It would be a foolish act of both naivety and wishful thinking to suggest that massive Labour gains in local elections and a Socialist victory in France signal a revival of the Left in Europe. (I don’t even need to open the Guardian to know it is saying exactly that!)

That all sounds very pessimistic, but just as I said that it was important to remember that ‘no sitting president ever lost the first round’, we must also remember that the Parti Socialiste has never won two consecutive national elections. Mitterrand was re-elected in 1988, but that was in between the cohabitations of 1986-1988 and 1993-1995.

This brings me to the legislative elections in a month’s time. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that Hollande’s victory will sufficiently mobilise left-wing voters to deliver a confident parliamentary majority. That is usually the pattern, even the tradition, of the 5th Republic, but it is difficult to see what is usual or unusual about the political climate at this time.

On the formation of the government, I said before the first round that I believe Hollande will choose the either Socialist Parliamentary Group Leader, Jean-Marc Ayrault or Martine Aubry as prime minister, with Moscovici becoming Secretary General of the Elysée.

Polls have already circulated over whether Hollande should invite the Greens, the Front de Gauche (the Reds) or the centrists into the government. Deals have been done in the legislatives to hand safe seats to the Greens, and given the fact that Eva Joly won around 2% in Round 1 it might have seemed unnecessary.

A PS-Green deal should work well for both parties. Hollande will need a strong Green Group in the Assemblée so that the PS does not seem too dominant. For the first time ever, the PS will control the Presidency, the Sénat, possibly the Assemblée, 21 or 22 regions, most départements and plenty of mayors. Hollande will be glad to have the Greens as human shields and the Greens will be happy to be able to weigh in on the national debate more seriously. Contrast this with the fact that, if Hollande were to work with the Front de Gauche, Jean-Luc Melenchon would constantly be outbidding Hollande for more spending and tax rises in a way that the Greens could not.

With a score of 51.8%, and a turnout of 80%, I cannot see where any new left-wing votes will come from. It is worth remembering that 7% voted blank yesterday. Whether that was a vote for ‘none of the above’ or an indication of Marine Le Pen’s power over the far right remains to be seen, but there are two million blank voters out there who are lurking quietly in the wings.

Now that Sarkozy has supposedly quit politics (to work on his son’s career), there is a power vacuum in the UMP. Jean François Copé is set to lead and has been positioning himself accordingly for months. Meanwhile, François Fillion remains popular within the party. Recently, I noted that Copé has proposed to reinstate official courants (i.e. factions), meaning that the UMP is beginning to look remarkably similar to the grotesque chaos of the Parti Socialiste after Jospin in 2002.

Sarkozy’s greatest failure, more long lasting than all the other failures, is the revival of the Front National. This is good for the Left and simultaneously bad for the Republic.

It is good for the Left because Marine Le Pen has given instructions that, should FN candidates qualify for the second round in a parliamentary constituency, they are to stay in the race against the PS and the UMP candidate. The FN will thus split the right wing vote and let the PS slip in. Hollande’s majority will come from tricking the system rather than new voters, hence why the PS-Green alliance will be successful.

It is bad for the Republic because it has made the UMP move to the Right and therefore the border between the UMP and the FN more porous. For a short term and unstable political gain, Sarkozy has alienated or killed off the last of the Gaullist Republicans. That is why former President Chirac and former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin returned for their final revenge against Sarkozy. If the UMP does suffer heavy losses in the legislatives, the hard-right heirs to Sarkozy will do what would have been unthinkable for Chirac and form an alliance with the FN. It will be secretive at first, then informal, and then could permanently restructure the right. That is to be lamented.

In conclusion, though there are still mountains to climb and clouds on the horizon there are still reasons to be cheerful. The Republic has won its second Socialist President, and that can only be good for democracy.

Sarkozy welcomes Le Pen into the Republic

Both Hollande and Sarkozy have tried to lure over voters who contributed to the 18% Front National score. Hollande has made several speeches along the lines of ‘It’s my responsibility not to disappoint you’ and ‘I understand the anger these people feel.’ Sarkozy, on the other hand, features on the front cover of Libération (a left-leaning newspaper):

Le Pen is compatible with the Republic.

Now I am given to understand, in the name of fairness, that Sarkozy actually said that the Front National is compatible with the Republic, rather than Le Pen. It also doesn’t specify which Le Pen (junior or senior?). With 18% of the vote, I could understand the point he could have made, but it’s a very transparent scramble for last-minute votes.

Regardless, all the French people I know (bearing in mind 95% of them are Socialists) are deeply upset. My social networks were peppered with the word honteux – shameful.

A profoundly anti-republican party is now deemed compatible with the Republic by the (outgoing) President of the Republic. The French have a great word banalisation for which we have to direct translation in English (the French love nouns for everything). It’s an idea to describe to process of making something everyday or commonplace. The closest I can get is a phrase like ‘thin end of the wedge’ or ‘slippery slope’.

Overall, I said Sarkozy would dash to the right, and he has done so in the least tasteful way possible.

Honteux.

French Election Results: First Round

Hollande leads with 28.63%
Sarkozy comes out with 27.08% (slightly better than the estimations that had him on 26.5).
Marine Le Pen sets a new record on 18.01%
Melenchon ends up with 11.13% (significantly less than the polls suggested, but an impressive performance having started at 5%)
Bayrou in the centre gets 9.11%
Joly (Greens) gets a poor 2.28%

Libération has the best and most interactive results gadget here but the FranceTV one can be embedded:

Rue89 calls the second round for Hollande, claiming that ‘there is no way Sarkozy can win’ (French).

I am much less optimistic. Not least because of my philosophy ‘If the PS can find a way to lose, it will.’

Hollande is the leader, which is better than I was expecting but 2% is not as high as I would like in order to feel comfortable. With two weeks to go he will be forced to define his ideas more clearly, and there is little to gain from debating with Sarkozy. Sarkozy proposed 3 debates last night, Hollande has refused two of them. Sarkozy will portray this as recognition of inexperience.

Sarkozy’s lurch to the far right has failed, but still remains his only hope. Analysts give Sarkozy a maximum reserve of 60% of the FN vote, and about 30% of the Bayrou vote.

The international press will focus on the Le Pen vote (only thing that seems to interest non-anaorak foreigners – if you are reading this, congratulations, you are in the anorak club). My question is, ‘What happened to Melenchon’s people?’ They didn’t go to Hollande at the last minute, they didn’t go back to the greens (polls were accurate on those two accounts), and they didn’t stay at home given 80% turnout.  Is it possibly that the crusty left lurched to the far right? Extremes meet.

Melenchon’s disappointing 11% score does not, in my view, give Hollande a very secure reserve as 15% would have done. The mysterious ‘dynamique’ that Hollande will get from leading in Round 1 will have to be translated into support from non-supporters. Perhaps Sarkozy’s far-right strategy will scare off enough centrists? It might, but it probably wouldn’t matter.

That said, my PS friends point to the fact that the Left is very high compared to normal (I didn’t want to upset them by saying Jospin came first in 1995 and still lost in the second round).

Before the results were in last night, a second round poll was conducted giving Hollande 54 and Sarkozy 46. Encouraging, but I don’t buy it will two weeks to go.

Overal, the next two weeks will not take place in the centre. Both Sarkozy and Hollande will have to try and pick apart the FN; a very unpleasant direction.

Alors je flippe.

Ex-President Chirac to vote for Next-President Hollande

Former conservative president Jacques Chirac is to vote for Socialist candidate François Hollande on Sunday, rather than his successor Nicolas Sarkozy.

Rather, Chirac’s ghostwriter has said as much. Given that Chirac himself is unlikely to make any public appearances, the writer’s indiscreet comments can be taken (and has been taken) as a deliberate and final stab of revenge against Sarkozy.

France 24 has an article in French detailing additional ‘defections’ from Sarkozy to Hollande, mainly in the ranks of the disappointed (Chirac supporters who are unhappy with Sarkozy’s record) and this dis-appointed (Sarkozy’s ex-ministers).

Whether Chirac will vote Hollande or not is almost irrelevant. It is a secret ballot after all. The point is that the press have reported as much and the two parties have to deal with it. Hollande’s team is delighted, collecting yet another endorsement and pointing out that his is bringing in people outside of his own Socialist camp. Sarkozy is less happy, saying that it is unfair to take advantage of Chirac who is old and ‘going through personal difficulties’, implying that he’s a mad old coot who can no longer be taken seriously.

Additionally, Hollande is back on top in the first round. That’s quite incredible. In an amusing illustration of the election, both Hollande and Sarkozy held huge meetings either side of Paris (former in the East and latter in the West) on April 15.

Only four days to go.

Analysing French Presidential official videos

As soon as I’d finished looking at the presidential posters yesterday, the official campaign began. It was celebrated by, first, putting up those panneaux électoraux, and second, through the first broadcast of the election video clips (just like a British Election Broadcast). It also means that the silly rules on equal time for all candidates come into force.

As I did with the posters, I’m going to look at each video in turn. They are all about 1m 30s (there is also a longer 3m version but they don’t seem to have been released yet). I’m also going to assume that you may not necessarily understand French. If you don’t, it could well be a bonus because you’ll get a good feel of each style.

1. Nicolas Sarkozy

The video chimes well with the campaign. Sarkozy is centre stage in front of a clear blue sky. Sarko looks straight into the camera, with a few zooms in and out so that people don’t get bored. Simple, and not remotely flashy, to try and get away from the bling-bling image. It cuts at the end to a rally in which he states, ‘I need you!’ as he has constantly pleased for help over the last five years. Plenty of French flags waving about, of course. I would have thought that Sarko would bring out some fireworks as a ‘here goes nothing’ attempt, but in fact he has tried to come across as a very serious incumbent.

2. François Hollande
(I am working in the same order as the posters, but I suggest you watch the others before this one.)

Wow! Some have said the Hollande campaign has been boring, but this is a real gear change. Nothing new exactly, as the clip is an excerpt from the Bourget speech, where he launched the campaign in January, but I get the impression that the stakes have been very much raised. We are hit hard  immediately with a powerful statement, ‘Every nation has a soul! The soul of France is equality!’ evoking all the images of equality in French history. This, sneakily and cleverly, poaches General de Gaulle, the hero of France (and man of the Right). The Revolution, the Third Republic, the Front Populaire, General de Gaulle, François Mitterrand, Lionel Jospin: The left can govern!  The (pipe organ!) music, the shouting, the hysteria of the crowd, the montage, it’s like a trailer for the most dramatic, action packed film ever to have been filmed. Justice NOW! Hope NOW!  Change NOW! I think it is also significant that it ends with Vive la République, vive la France!’ 

3. Jean-Luc Melenchon

There’s something really charming about this clip. The music is subdued but upbeat, with a faint marching drum in the background. Much of the clip is JLM on the left hand side of the screen (remember Sarkozy in the centre) in front of his red background. It’s as if his poster came to life. He gives us a little lesson about his program with cute little facts on the right hand side.

It ends with a clip from one of his rallies. Red background, red tie, red flags, the outstretched fist; I thought for a moment I saw a hammer and sickle at 00:49 but I was mistaken. A quick montage of various JLM supporters, including a group of (presumably communist) mayors, then a greater focus on the crowd itself rather than the candidate. For a split second at 3:01 there is a brilliant shot of JLM looking off into the distance, presidentially. It might be my imagination, but at 3:04 there is a very soviet building hidden behind a flag. Not a single tricolor in sight though. The huge crowd at the end is something for which he deserves credit, too.

4. Marine Le Pen

The Front National clip is almost suspiciously similar to Sarkozy’s. Marine Le Pen is centre stage in front of a light blue background (you might even say a marine blue background!) and immediately starts sounding off about this and that. Shouting, not in a passionate way but with trademark indignation, the very first sentence is a snide and sarcastic snap at Sarkozy. However, nothing about immigrants (for once) but she still talks about how the political classes have abandoned the people. A lot about petrol prices too. Weird.

Did you notice? There are no cuts, no zooming in or out, no images, just her in one streaming rant. The end of her clip feels as if she has been cut off rather than coming to a conclusion. More significantly, and the direct opposite of Melenchon (unsurprising), there is not a single other person in the video. No crowd, no supporters, nobody. She is all alone.

5. François Bayrou

Like Bayrou himself, the clip is a funny mix of all the others. It’s hard to take anything in once you notice the background. He starts off talking to the camera (slightly to the left) in front of a moving background of clouds in the sky. Suddenly it cuts away and he’s standing in the same position, saying the same sentence, but now he’s in front of a lake! He’s suddenly changed position! Interspersed with chatting to people in the street. Then the background changes again.

6. Eva Joly

From the ‘a bit funny’ to the downright strange. The Green Grandma’s ad just comes across as peculiar. For a start, she’s wearing those green glasses. You know, the ones she never wears. Really, just google images ‘Eva Joly’ and you will find that her trademark glasses are red.

Apart from that, she is sitting in a TV studio, which only highlight how artificial the clip is (rather than showing ‘honesty’ or ‘breaking the fourth wall’). I think the weirdest part is that she is sitting in a TV studio writing to France as if the country was her grandchild, (others might say it was her will, but I won’t get into that.) The music is saccharin Suddenly, she is in front of the camera but reading from something off screen. Then it changes angle and she’s looking off to the side. Then there are three of her! Then someone throws down a beat and she starts rapping. There is nothing about this that works, I would say it’s a parody but I can’t think what it could possibly be trying to parody.

7/8/9/10. The Rest

You can watch the other clips for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (almost identical to Sarkozy’s clip, but with a bit of drama about a tree thrown in at the end), Nathalie Arthaud (filmed in her garage), Philippe Poutou (who wanders around town looking for someone to talk to) and Jaques Cheminade (who lives in 1995) by clicking on their names. They might be nice to watch once but they are quite inconsequential.

Presidential Candidates, Presidential Posters

Two weeks to go until the election.

One of the many things I like about French political culture is their use of posters. Outside every polling station you will find the panneaux électoraux (election panels), where each candidate is assigned a numbered panel on which they are permitted to place their poster.

In the same way I discussed a local election I was involved in (here) I am going to examine each candidate in the French Presidential elections and comment on their campaign through the medium of their posters. In the spirit of fairness, I will follow the order of the latest polling for first-round voting intentions.

A common theme I have noticed, looking at them all, is the lack of party logos and even the lack of the candidate’s name.

1. Nicolas Sarkozy, UMP

The incumbent, often referred to as ‘the outgoing candidate’ by his main rival. Sarkozy looks much more serious than he did five years ago. This took about half an hour to be ruthlessly parodied (more on parodies here). A blue sky giving way to sunset, with Sarkozy looking out to sea might convey calm, until you discover that far from the cote d’azur, the picture was taken from the Aegean Sea.

Sarkozy announced his candidacy and came to the race late. This was most likely a ploy to generate media coverage, or rather take it away from others, and create a will-he-won’t-he narrative. That fits in with the style of the campaign, summed up in his constant refrains of ‘help me’ ‘being President is hard. That surprised nobody, as François Hollande said on the same evening as when Sarkozy declared his candidacy, ‘So we have now heard that the President-Candidate is now the Candidate-President!

Nevertheless, Sarkozy is a first-rate campaigner and will fight to the bitter end. La France Forte was also the slogan of another one-term president, Giscard d’Estaing (poster), who, in a cruel foreshadowing of history, lost to another Socialist called François.

2. François Hollande, Parti Socialiste

Everything about this image is designed to convey consistency and stability. The campaign walks a tightrope trying to be left enough to appeal to the base while appearing ‘safe’ enough to be entrusted with power. The blue suit, tie, and sky mimic Sarkozy’s typical style, while Hollande is one of the few candidates to look the voters in the eye, face on. The background of a rural, typical French village only adds to the down-to-earth ‘trust me’ theme. There is, at least, a bit of a smile, but nothing revolutionary.

Hollande has been in the race longer than anybody else. Almost a year ago, he announced he was running for the primaries to become the Socialist candidate before the election campaign. His nickname used to be ‘Flanby’ a French brand of flan, because he’s boring. However, if you have watched and listened to his speeches, I doubt you would consider him boring. He also has the bonus of being the only candidate I have met personally.

3. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Front de Gauche

JLM came from almost nowhere to become a real player in the campaign rising to third place and hence ‘best of the rest’, despite all the hysteria (that I warned against) about the rise of Marine Le Pen. Though his programme is not overly different to that of Hollande, he is free to be a great deal more revolutionary in his rhetoric, rising to 15% at Hollande’s expense, allowing Sarkozy to eek ahead in the first round. JLM has become the master of the big rallies, his indignant style of oratory hitting home with those most hurt by the crisis.

JLM looks off into the distance in front of a beautiful shade of red (matching the tie) that comes across as frankly Leninist. The text is a verb conjugation that is an order to the reader, while the candidate’s name is very small at the bottom.

4. Marine Le Pen, Front National

MLP’s campaign seems to have floundered somewhat (see here for background), despite the presence of classic themes like immigration and Europe which should be low-hanging fruit for the far right. Perhaps Sarkozy’s strategy of lurching to the right is working after all?

Again, no mention of either name or party. The obligatory flag is clear and the OUI tries to be positive, as does the general lighting, with Marine in a different pose to all the other candidates. Everything is done to distance herself from not only the other parties, but her own as well.

5. François Bayrou, Modem

Bayrou is nowhere near as important as he was in 2007 where he managed to pick up the ‘neither him or her’ vote, despite managing about 10%. A centrist, in the Lib Dem sense of the word (i.e. right leaning) from whom Sarkozy has tried to pinch a few votes too. Very little to say really. At least he’s smiling.

6. Eva Joly, EELV

The Greens debated whether to put up a candidate or not. Given that Joly is at 2%, it looks like they should have not, instead negotiating an agreement with Hollande. Poor Joly, who is a weak candidate anyway, recently fell down some stairs and was hospitalised. The poster, ‘The real change’ is a likely dig at Hollande’s change campaign.

The odd thing about this poster is that her glasses have been photoshopped green to match her party, whereas in reality they are always red.

7. The Rest under 1%

French media still runs under an old-fashioned rule about giving each candidate equal time for coverage, despite an obvious disparity between the above and the below. I don’t though, so here you have the remaining candidates who really needn’t have bothered:

Nathalie Arthaud

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

 

Phillipe Poutou

Jaques Cheminade, I couldn't find anything but his poster from 1995

So there you have the ten candidates for the 22 April, where the two who come out on top go through to a second round on May 6th.