France Has Voted
And the winner is most decidedly Nicolas Sarkozy, the candidate who seems most on track to be able to raise France out of its economic, political and social slump. Is he as hard-right as his rival Segolene Royal painted him, and as the slum-dwellers whose offspring are addicted to fireworks claim? That much and more will be revealed in the months and years to come. It is clear, however, that much of France is pleased with his ascension, and so is the European Union, by and large.France's president-elect's victory was the occasion for more protests and rioting, and burning of vehicles, but this was happening in any event. And will continue to be a matter of concern for some time until France's political elite with the help of Mr. Sarkozy can figure out how to effectively combat the bitter disaffection displayed by immigrant communities toward their adopted country. The lawless anarchy continually on show must be arrested and it will be interesting to see the level of success Mr. Sarkozy will bring to the situation.
In acknowledgement of the opportunity that the voters of France have afforded him to turn their country's fortunes around, the leader of the Union for a Popular Movement made needed overtures to the legions of left-wing voters for whom his policies are anathema, and who fear for the future of their country under his steady gaze and iron hand; a decided danger in their opinion, for the well-being of France.
For his part, Mr. Sarkozy pledged himself to all of France, regardless of political affiliation, of ethnic background, of religion. "A president must love all French people" he declared. "This is not the victory of one France against another, there is for me only one victory tonight: democracy and the values that unite us." Graceful and humble by anyone's reckoning. But it is the prerogative of the winner to be generous; question is, how long this spirit of conciliation may last.
Unless, that is, you're Segolene Royal, and then his heartfelt speech takes on the mantle of dark stealth, meaningless words that veil his true intent - which will, in the end, be the undoing of the country. She made that abundantly clear during the election campaign, particularly toward the end, consolidating her scorn for him with her comments during their last, avidly-viewed debate.
Candidate Sarkozy's demeanor was respectful and patient, his arguments well considered, his delivery quietly forceful. Candidate Royal's reaction was tense, combative, defensive, offensive. Sarkozy gave the decided impression of one clearly in control of himself and the critical issues at hand. Royal appeared uncertain, fuzzy, off-kilter, accusatory. He carried himself with dignity; she did her candidacy no favours.
An impressive 85% voter turnout is a fairly good indicator of how seriously French citizens take their responsibilities. That colossal turnout was also a reflection of the divisiveness of this election, each of the run-off candidates seeing solutions to the problems facing their country from clearly contrary, adversarial positions - stark left, rigid right. With a little bit of wiggle room, nonetheless in a highly polarized atmosphere.
Mr. Sarkozy received 53% of the vote, while Ms. Royal took a somewhat lesser 47%. You either win or you lose, and Ms. Royal most certainly did not sufficiently win the trust of the electorate in this closing round. The expatriate vote was not included in the concluding totals, but will have no effect on the outcome. World leaders were quick to acknowledge Mr. Sarkozy's success and proffer their congratulations.
Clearly there will be a relaxation in the tenseness of French-U.S. relations. Already Mr. Sarkozy, who has delineated his platform for change and progress, has included the environment right up there with the problems of battling France's huge debt, high unemployment and the festering misery of the immigrant suburbs. While embracing the opportunity for warmer relationships with the U.S., Mr. Sarkozy still took the initiative to scold Washington on its stance on global warming.
Mr. Sarkozy's clear program for his first few months in office relate to the initiation of reforms; "la rupture" - a clean break from disastrous past policies of French governance. He promises to boost economic growth and employment through tax-cutting, the reduction of deficits, improved labour laws, and a leaner government, none of which have been viewed fondly by previous administrations.
The tough law-and-order measures, along with tighter immigration controls will not increase his popularity with that huge segment of French socialists who have always seemed to have control of government. Still, voters knew his platform, and they have voted to reject the country's spending programmes, its expansion of the huge social welfare state. President-elect Sarkozy means to see that people who can, will work rather than depend on welfare.
He promises new opportunities for youth, opening up of new jobs, in an effort to leaven the future for immigrant youth whom the country's employment policies have failed so badly. The country is badly in need of reform. The vote of confidence in Mr. Sarkozy's platform was evidence that a majority of French acknowledge this. Interestingly, in Montreal, roughly 55% of eligible French voters cast their ballots for Ms. Royal in comparison to the 45% who voted for Mr. Sarkozy.
The European Union anticipates that more will now be accomplished with Mr. Sarkozy balancing Angela Merkel, Germany's accomplished and right-leaning Chancellor, now heading up the EU.
Labels: Viewpoint, World News
posted by Pieface @ Monday, May 07, 2007
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