Mrs Jones: Dearest, it is not without some consternation that I note the persistent popularity of that unsavoury daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen across the Channel.
Mr Jones: This sort of economic climate does bring prejudice to the fore. But she hasn’t a hope of winning darling.
The French Presidential Election
What:
Whoever wins a majority of the popular vote on 22nd April will become the next French President. If no one wins an outright majority, the two highest polling candidates will face each other in a second round, to take place on May 6th.
Who:
There are a whole host of political parties in France, not least the bizarrely named ‘Hunt, fish, nature, traditions’, but three candidates have established themselves as frontrunners in this contest. Francois Hollande, Presidential candidate for the Parti Socialiste, and replacement for the disgraced Dominique Strauss-Kahn, currently has a sizeable lead over the embattled incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy himself, the victor in the election of 2007, ended a period of entirely unjustified suspense by announcing his candidacy on February 15th, and has already begun his campaign for a second (and final) term in office. Thus far he’s promised to “restore a voice to the people” and to oversee a return to core values and “A strong France”. One can only wonder whom he’s blaming for the people’s loss of voice and strength, given that he’s been in power for the last five years. He’s also plumped for a bit of good old-fashioned homophobia and poor-bashing, in a bid to steal some of the votes from the third realistic candidate, the Front National’s Marine Le Pen, while trying to remain moderate enough to stave off competition from centrist rival, Francois Bayrou.
Soundbites to wow with:
“Hollande may be doing well now, but his predecessor, Segolene Royale (incidentally his former ‘private-life partner’), faded in the second round in 2007 after a similarly strong start in the polls.”
Don’t say:
“Wait, I didn’t realise Sarkozy was President. I thought he was just Carla Bruni’s husband.”
