.intro.


Sarkozy, the conservative candidate, is leading in the polls, and Royal, the Socialist (Social-Democracy) party candidate, is in second place. But with so many undecided votes, analysts say that another candidate could easily bump either Sarkozy or Royal to make it to the second round of voting.

Francois Bayrou, a horse farmer and historian has made it to third place by proposing a coalition of the left and right-wing political parties.


Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front party who surprised everyone by making to the second round of voting in the last election, has also been picking up support in the past few weeks.

In total for these elections we have 12 candidates, only two will go to the second round.
Two of the fourth mentioned above and certainly sarkozy in first position...
But who is this man who is about to be our next president?
Don't eat please or you'll vomit...


.more precisely.


Sarkozy, 52, is the son of a minor Hungarian aristocrat and his maternal grandfather was a Jewish doctor from the Greek city of Salonica.
France's former interior minister and "top cop", before he was the finance minister in 2004...

Those who have worked with him all remark on his manic energy, his near-evangelical powers of persuasion and his relish for a political fight. "Nicolas has a mad talent for communication.

This is the man the nation's amateur psychiatrists want on their couch, a man whose febrile personality and driving ambition has become a crucial election issue.

Economically, Mr Sarkozy is the most liberal candidate on labour market reform but also one of the most protectionist on trade. He is a consummate political insider, first elected mayor of super-rich Neuilly-sur-Seine at the age of 28, who has yet managed to present himself as an outsider.


.personality.


His multi-sided campaign is reflected in his complex personality. The teetotal, 52-year-old lawyer has developed an almost cult-like following among party members who admire his Thatcherite rhetoric extolling hard work and risk-taking. Yet he is also feared by many voters thanks to his tough performance as "top cop" at the interior A portrait of Mr Sarkozy has been painted by Azouz Begag, a fellow cabinet member. In a recently published book, Mr Begag describes a row he had with Mr Sarkozy at the time of the rioting in the urban ghettoes in November 2005. Mr Begag publicly criticised Mr Sarkozy, then interior minister, for stigmatising the rioting youth as "scum". He recalls a furious response of Mr Sarkozy telephoning him to scream: "You are an arsehole. A traitor. A bastard. I'm going to smash your face in." Mr Sarkozy has denied this.

His critics say he is a dangerous power-hungry "little Caesar" with a complex about his height, scarred by his parents' divorce, troubled by his foreign-sounding name and far too keen to use the riot police to bring law and order to France's streets. This week, Azouz Begag, the lone minister of North African origin in the outgoing government, claimed Sarkozy once threatened to "smash his face in". But supporters say he is the only man strong and brave enough to force France to reform.

One veteran political observer says there is a potential risk in electing such an impulsive and headstrong man, who is subject to migraine attacks and has a volcanic temper. But he adds that there is perhaps a bigger risk of not electing the most conspicuously talented politician of his generation at such a critical time for France.


.extremisms.


Mr Sarkozy also has his right eye on Mr Le Pen (far-right party). Pollsters give Mr Le Pen 15%, but as many potential supporters are embarrassed to say they will vote for him, his real popularity may be higher than the polls suggest. Thuggish though he is, his anti-immigrant message appeals to some voters. Mr Sarkozy has tried to become a more palatable hard-man. He is popular for his hard stance on crime and hooliganism—acutely sensitive topics in France since an outburst of rioting in late 2005. Mr Sarkozy, who was then interior minister, risked accusations of flirting with the far right. Two words he used then—racaille (“scum” or “rabble”, used to describe the rioters), and “Kärcher” (the make of a high-pressure hose he said he would like to use to clean the streets)—have become permanently associated with him.

Sarkozy seems to be preparing the ground, saying that all the main candidates have moved further right - with the sole exception of Le Pen, implying that Le Pen is now more moderate, and adding “Just because Le Pen touches something does not mean it has to be forbidden.”

With the race tightening, sparks have begun to fly on a wide range of issues. Mr Sarkozy told a philosophy magazine recently that paedophilia and and even teenage suicides, was genetically pre-determined, provoking sharp criticism from Ms Royal and Mr Bayrou.
Shock, horror, the opponents said. "Sarko" believes in eugenics (or genetic selection). How neo-fascist.

In their own ways, left and far right were trying to exploit the paradox of this campaign. Sarkozy may be in front, but hundreds of thousands of French people, even many natural centre-right voters, feel deeply unsettled by the idea of a President Sarkozy.

.conclusion.

The left - and many perfectly law-abiding people in the suburbs - have repeated those words to convince themselves that Sarkozy is a crypto-fascist. This could come back to haunt him.

A President Sarkozy would polarise the nation. Any economic reform by Sarkozy would be opposed on the streets. Any police-versus-youth clash in the suburbs could spark new riots.

France needs a courageous man (or woman) to move things forward but also one capable of projecting a sense of steadiness and fairness. Sarkozy may or may not have the courage. Even many people on the centre-right doubt his capacity to generate calm.

In the Fifth Republic, a president is supposed to be someone who unites the country: a "rassembleur" - not just a political leader but an uncle-confessor, with a mysterious spiritual-theatrical capacity to guide and reassure a fractious, perverse nation.

Sarkozy has, for all his success in the polls, failed to audition successfully for that role. He remains an Iago seeking to be an Othello.

As a reminder during our previous Presidentials elections in 2002 in the second round we had the choice between : Chirac (liberal - right party) and Le Pen (Far-Right).
Where is France going....
I just don't understand....


_{thanx to The Economist, The Independant, CNN, The Echos...}