Mon, April 23, 2012
BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Socialist Francois Hollande looks like the most hopeful candidate to win the first voting round of the French presidential elections this Sunday. He might even conquer a slight advance from his rival the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.
Voters are expected to punish the conservative president for his unpopular ruling style as well as his preference for austerity in combating the current economic crisis.
Up to seven different opinion polls say that this man will be the next president of France. Fran？ois Hollande might win both election rounds, despite his alleged lack of temperament and weak international experience. But the socialist candidate is capitalizing on the fact that 70% of the French no longer want Sarkozy’s bravado and his marketing, unpresidential style.
But extreme right Marine Le Pen and her ultranationalist anti-establishment manifesto could shake the voting results, as much as the far left leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon the rising star of these elections, thanks to his belief that austerity is not the remedy but the cause of the worst economic crisis in decades.
The latest survey on voting sentiment rigth before first round, gets Hollande four points ahead of Sarkozy, with a little more that one fourth of the ballots. Le Pen and Melanchon with 16 and 14% of potential votes.
On the second round, May 6, Hollande could conquer the presidency by a comforable difference of up to 12 points.
For political analyst Denis Sieffert, voters would express a rejection of Sarkozy’s policies and personality.
Sarkozy embodies both the austerity and the economic liberalism that people hate. French citizens don’t like his personality, they can’t accept his vulgarity towards the common people that contrasts with his admiration of very rich people. Besides his campaign has been an exercise of demagogy.
Sarkozy’s repeated comments that France should follow Germany in budget and economic discipline, while moving away from the Latin Europe where it belongs might also turn voters against him, according to this politicar editor.
Herve Algalarrondo, Political Editor, said,"Another handicap of Nicolas Sarkozy during this campaign has been to follow Angela Merkel’s footsteps and adopt the German model. But what works in Germany, does not apply in Europe, simply because the Latin, Mediterranean Europe is different from Northern countries. So Nicolas Sarkozy made a big mistake believing that French society would accept austerity and rigor, this explain the sudden rise of Jean-Luc Mélanchon who epitomizes a staunch opposition to austerity."
Paris Resident, said, "This time more than ever I will vote for Sarkozy, because he his the only person capable of saving France from the current crisis."
"My preference is Hollande, I think he is a very good candidate. I think he will be able to keep his promises."
"I would rather abstein from voting, because this campaign lacked clear answers to questions we have as citizens like unemployment, taxes, deficit or health care."
"I would say that this campaign didn’t deliver clear arguments to voters. Instead of that there was too much emphasis on opinion polls."
"Nine candidates against one. Nicolas Sarkozy’s chances look grim with the current economic downturn and his mild political legacy. But polls see a heated neck to neck race on the first round between the incumbent and the challenger Fran？ois Hollande. The socialist stands out as a clear winner on the secon round taking advantage of Sarkozy’s unpopularity in the French middle class.
(Source: cntv.cn)
