The French Elections
With almost a week to go to the French elections, there is still a lot of undecided voters. Two days ago, I returned from a long weekend in Paris. While there, I saw very few live election rallies. Maybe I was always in the wrong place. There was quite a lot said on televison, and the newspapers were full of articles. But I was quite amazed that that the general public seemed to carry own with their domestic existence, with little overt reaction to the election. I visited quite a few parks, and all the locals seemed to be enjoying was the very good weather.
Now that the current French President, Monsieur Chirac, is finally making the best of his last days at the palace, it is time to decide where we stand on the present candidates, hoping to be the next President of France. Altogether, there are twelve candidates vying for the office of president. Of the twelve, only four stana real chance of becoming president, according to the polls.
Until recently, most people were quite convinced that the contest was a straightforward battle between UMP Nicolas Sarkozy, and the socialist candidate Segolene Royal. But in the last month the dramatic improvement of the UDF candidate, Francois Bayrou, has taken everyone by surprise. Most had assumed he stood no chance in the elections, but he has proved them wrong. His increasing percentage in the polls have noted that he has become a person to be reckoned with. Even if he does not make it to the second round, he can have an important say in harnessing votes to help the eventual winner.
Where do I stand in this elections? Do remember I am not a Frenchman, and that I would not be voting. But I do have an opinion. I applaud the system. I applaud the system which allows the elctorate to choose their leader, from so wide a selection of candidates. I wish we had soomething similiar in the UK.
If I had a chance to vote, it would not go Nicolas Sarkozy. His politics is too much to the right. His policies still suggest that he is quite prepared to play the race and anti-immigrant card when it suits him. He also takes too much of a confrontational view when dealing with law and order. His notion about the French identity is too farfetched, and preposterous. I firmly believe that no nation can pretend that its citizens can fit into one simplistic identity. There are regional differences in every country, and France is no exception.
Francois Bayrou's elevation to the mainstream is very interesting. His nuances suggest, that his position would be to avoid the pitfalls of the right and left, and to instrument policies which represent a wider consensus. His gain in approval rating suggests, that the public feels that the two lead candidates remains somewhat too inflexible on general issues. And indeed, this is something which the two lead candidates should address.
But I must admit if I were a resident of France, I would give my vote to Segolene Royal. I don't think she is running the best campaign. But I believe that a lot of that has to do with the way she was elected by the Socialists, leaving a lot of bad feelings by some groups within her party. I also believe there are still some chauvinistic battles which she must overcome in order to win a wider acceptance by the country. Many say that she has not got the experience needed for the job. But I think that the best way to learn is while you are doing the job. and I am absolutely convinced that the electing of a female president would do wonders for France.
And what about Monsieur Le Pen? His card is always the same in any elections. He always plays the part of the spoiler. This time, I don't expect him to do as well as the last time, nor do I expect him to make the second round. But already, I can see Monsieur Sarkozy angling for his supporters in the second round. But with a week of campaigning still to go, the election is still quite wide open. Eventually, the people will decide.
With almost a week to go to the French elections, there is still a lot of undecided voters. Two days ago, I returned from a long weekend in Paris. While there, I saw very few live election rallies. Maybe I was always in the wrong place. There was quite a lot said on televison, and the newspapers were full of articles. But I was quite amazed that that the general public seemed to carry own with their domestic existence, with little overt reaction to the election. I visited quite a few parks, and all the locals seemed to be enjoying was the very good weather.
Now that the current French President, Monsieur Chirac, is finally making the best of his last days at the palace, it is time to decide where we stand on the present candidates, hoping to be the next President of France. Altogether, there are twelve candidates vying for the office of president. Of the twelve, only four stana real chance of becoming president, according to the polls.
Until recently, most people were quite convinced that the contest was a straightforward battle between UMP Nicolas Sarkozy, and the socialist candidate Segolene Royal. But in the last month the dramatic improvement of the UDF candidate, Francois Bayrou, has taken everyone by surprise. Most had assumed he stood no chance in the elections, but he has proved them wrong. His increasing percentage in the polls have noted that he has become a person to be reckoned with. Even if he does not make it to the second round, he can have an important say in harnessing votes to help the eventual winner.
Where do I stand in this elections? Do remember I am not a Frenchman, and that I would not be voting. But I do have an opinion. I applaud the system. I applaud the system which allows the elctorate to choose their leader, from so wide a selection of candidates. I wish we had soomething similiar in the UK.
If I had a chance to vote, it would not go Nicolas Sarkozy. His politics is too much to the right. His policies still suggest that he is quite prepared to play the race and anti-immigrant card when it suits him. He also takes too much of a confrontational view when dealing with law and order. His notion about the French identity is too farfetched, and preposterous. I firmly believe that no nation can pretend that its citizens can fit into one simplistic identity. There are regional differences in every country, and France is no exception.
Francois Bayrou's elevation to the mainstream is very interesting. His nuances suggest, that his position would be to avoid the pitfalls of the right and left, and to instrument policies which represent a wider consensus. His gain in approval rating suggests, that the public feels that the two lead candidates remains somewhat too inflexible on general issues. And indeed, this is something which the two lead candidates should address.
But I must admit if I were a resident of France, I would give my vote to Segolene Royal. I don't think she is running the best campaign. But I believe that a lot of that has to do with the way she was elected by the Socialists, leaving a lot of bad feelings by some groups within her party. I also believe there are still some chauvinistic battles which she must overcome in order to win a wider acceptance by the country. Many say that she has not got the experience needed for the job. But I think that the best way to learn is while you are doing the job. and I am absolutely convinced that the electing of a female president would do wonders for France.
And what about Monsieur Le Pen? His card is always the same in any elections. He always plays the part of the spoiler. This time, I don't expect him to do as well as the last time, nor do I expect him to make the second round. But already, I can see Monsieur Sarkozy angling for his supporters in the second round. But with a week of campaigning still to go, the election is still quite wide open. Eventually, the people will decide.
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