Sarkozy's Campaign

Ever since his nomination as center-right candidate for the French presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy has embarked on rigorous campaign which has included meetings with Tony Blair and a "rare foreign media interview to the Charlie Rose Show" to be broadcasted in the United States. (Herald Tribune) The results of his campaign are lucid: 57% of the respondents of the Le Parisien poll found him to running a stronger campaign than his contender Royal, while in the poll conducted by Ipsos, he was given 54% of the vote in in opposition to Royal's 46%.

Sarkozy visited London on February 1st to rally 300,000 of London-French population and encourage them to vote for him "to revive France's Ð''blocked society' that they left behind Ð''in desperation'." (The Economist) Furthermore, the candidate to presidency met with Tony Blair and visited the London job center, asserting his commitment to Tony Blair (whom Sarkozy admires greatly) and his ideology of "pragmatism" and the alleviating of the economic state of affairs in France.

Sarkozy's campaign might indeed be hitting close to home for many of the French citizens as the unemployment rate is at 8.6% (disparate from that of 5.5% in Britain), while at the same time causing apprehension. State of economy, according to Berger, is once again at the top of the electorate's priority, and if Sarkozy is able to convince the French that his reforms will work, he may very well win. Juxtaposing economies of Britain and France, showcases the route Sarkozy might take (if he wins the elections): favoring of lower taxes and "flexible labor markets," less regulation of economy that would help encourage "entrepreneurship and dynamismÐ'..." (The Economist) This is corroborated by one of the statements made by Sarkozy in his interview on the Charlie Rose Show; "A great country needs the state, but let me put things very simply. I believe in capitalism. I believe in the market economy."*

Less regulation and control of the economy, however, may cause apprehension among the electorate. According to Berger, the French are increasingly concerned about issues that originate outside their borders, such as immigration that is challenging the "Frenchness" of the state (the issue attracting many voters to the National Front), globalization and lack of regulation of the international economy and membership in the EU that is deduct from the sovereignty of the French state. "At least as many see it, globalization and Europe mean an end to national borders, hence the possibilities of national regulation within society." (Berger) Furthermore, such views are not merely present but are becoming predominant in the French society (while in 2001 SOFRES poll, 55% believed globalization was a threat to French jobs, the figure rose by 8% in merely a year). If Sarkozy's intention is indeed to reduce the state's role in regulating the economy, the French electorate might be more apprehensive in regards to casting their votes for him.

Another potential challenge to electoral success Sarkozy may be facing is the fact that although he is intending to step down from his position as an interior minister, he is still a part of the unpopular government and the system. If the 2002