With just four days to go before the run-off in France’s presidential election, incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist front-runner François Hollande squared off in a raw-nerved television debate followed by millions of …
Nicolas Sarkozy
Must-Reads from Around the World: May 2, 2012
On the Defensive – China’s semi-official Global Times breaks the state silence over blind activist Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest with its op-ed “US embassy in a quandary over Chen.” The most apt take: “The US embassy …
A Dangerous Game: Why Sarkozy’s Bid for Far-Right Votes May Backfire
The electoral dilemma facing French presidential finalists Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande is as urgent as it is heavy with risk: how to lure the nearly 6.5 million voters who backed extreme-right candidate leader Marine …
After Historic First-Round Defeat, Sarkozy’s Re-election Hopes Shrink Further
French voters took a step toward historic change on Sunday when they handed Socialist Party candidate François Hollande a victory in the first round of the presidential election with 28.8% of the vote, just edging second-place …
France’s Stringent Election Laws: Lessons for the America’s Free-for-All Campaigns
If, in the course of lampooning America’s few-holds-barred campaign finance system, Stephen Colbert ever found the need for a straight man to highlight U.S. folly, France would be perfect. French campaigns are parsimonious, …
The French Election By the Numbers: Could a Surprise Be Waiting on Sunday?
With just three days to go before April 22 voting in the first round of France’s presidential elections, three things are clear–though they aren’t really consistent.
The first is that while some polls project incumbent …
Between Growth and a Hard Place: Tough Choices for France’s Next President–Whoever that May Be
As the French presidential election heads into first round voting April 22, a burning question is being grafted to the issue of “who will win?” French and European observers are now also asking “what will the outcome mean …
TIME Interviews French Presidential Front-Runner François Hollande
This is an extended version of TIME’s interview with Socialist Party candidate and Elysée frontrunner François Hollande. A condensed text is published in the international editions of TIME (and
How the Extreme Right and Left Will Affect France’s Presidential Race
Money time in France’s current presidential election won’t come before the May 6 run-off between probable mainstream finalists, incumbent conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist François Hollande. For now, though, that …
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 3, 2012
Taking Stock – The Jerusalem Post says Israel’s security cabinet has been briefed on a worst-case scenario in a potential war with Iran. Israeli TV news station Channel 10 reported that experts estimate less than 300 people would …
French Anti-Terror Raids: A Sarkozy Election Gambit?
Urgent anti-terror operation, or election season security stunt? That’s the question some people in France were already asking themselves Friday in the wake of a series of dawn police raids resulting the arrest of 19 suspected …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 30, 2012
War on Islam – The Washington Post reports that early morning raids in Paris and other French cities led to the arrest of 19 people suspected of radical Islamist activity. The raids come in the wake of al-Qaeda-inspired gunman …
Toulouse Killings Take Center Stage In France’s Presidential Campaign
In solidarity with the victims of the Jewish school shooting in Toulouse, the candidates in France’s presidential election had halted their campaigns. But that demonstration of national unity was all but forgotten by Thursday …