Over on my home-side of the pond, Obama and Romney are about to start 7 months of a tête-à-tête battle that is to promise lots of lofty political promises, non-exhaustive pundit analysis of the latest polls, scathing PAC t.v. commercials, mountains of yard signs and 3 good debates. Ah, election year in America…kinda makes one want to escape to, well, France :).
Although here in France it is an election year as well! The President of France is elected once every 5 years, and this year Nicolas Sarkozy is working hard to keep the title.
The campaigns of 10 Presidential candidates, all from different parties that run the ideological gamut (communist, green party, far-right, socialist, centrist, etc.), officially kicked off on April 9th…and believe it or not, the French do a first round of voting on April 22nd…of this year.
The April 22nd vote whittles the field of 10 candidates down to the top 2. After this is determined, one debate will happen and then exactly 14 days later, on May 6, the French go back to the polls to chose their next leader of the Republic…et voila, c’est fini! No bumper stickers, yard signs, tumbler coffee mugs, bobble heads, endless commercial spots, or doorbelling. Looks like elections are the one thing the French are quite efficient at. Who knew.
Campaign Signage here in France.
The city of Paris started setting up metal placards like the one above at the beginning of April. It wasn’t until that 9th of April that the candidates posters were actually placed on the movable walls…one side for each candidate (I particularly appreciate the neon green reading glasses on the Green candidate, Eva Joly). Besides magazine covers/newspaper headlines at news stands and the occasional suited individual handing out fliers, these are the only visible indications that an important election is on the horizon. I haven’t even seen one t.v. commercial yet! HOWEVER, I must qualify all of this..although there isn’t the abundance of campaign paraphernalia that I am accustomed to, candidates can start their campaign rhetoric well in advance of the 4/9 date. Such is the case of Hollande (leading socialist candidate who will likely be in the top 2 after Sunday’s vote with Sarkozy). He started campaigning 2 years ago…okay, now that sounds more familiar :).
Sarkozy’s Stump Speech at Place de Concorde.
This past weekend was the great last hurrah before the French citizens go to the voting booths. The two major candidates, Hollande and Sarkozy, had big rally’s at open air venues (both boasted over 100,000 people!). And my visiting friends from Seattle, Rich and Grace, and I just happened to stumble upon Sarkozy’s!!
I love a good political rally. The energy is contagious and I wished I had my own French drapeau to waive wildly while I chanted “Nicolas! Nicolas! Nicolas!”
Sarkozy speaking in one of the most historical venues in Paris.
The Place de Concorde isn’t a usual pick for a Presidential rally…in fact, it is usually the site where the new President is sworn into office. Several of my French friends have said that the general consensus as to why he chose Concorde is because he knows his chances of winning on May 6 are slim. This was his way of having one last moment in front of adoring, cheering crowds. Le pauvre :(.
Results of a current sondage (poll) show Hollande winning the Presidency by a margin of 14 points on May 6. A landslide.
Me taking a picture of Les Jeunes avec Sarkozy group in front of the L’ Assemblée Nationale!
Photo credit: Grace
As is expected, even French candidates get facial make-overs by the passing populace. This is the ultra-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, with her new beard and mustache…there was a swastika marked on her forehead too.
Walking home from class over a week ago, I witnessed a little old man draw a pen from his pocket and start scribbling a mustache on Hollande’s image. I almost stopped to ask him what compelled him to take the time to deface the candidate…but instead just chuckled to myself, shook my head and kept going. Even across borders and cultures, there are some things we all love to do…hate politicians :).
Before I go check the latest poll numbers (I am a political junkie no matter what country I am in), here are a few candidate fun fact:
– 3 of the 10 candidates weren’t even born in France!
– Hollande is passioné de football (although, and I think the French would agree, he doesn’t really look like he is passionate about anything! He has the air of one laid back guy.)
– Sarkozy is a lover of cigars (good to hear he has one unhealthy habit since he doesn’t drink wine or eat cheese!) and he collects postage stamps (a man after my own heart as I use to do the same)
– Joly, the Green candidate, practices Pilates (no surprise there!)
Click here if you want to explore more of the candidates salaries, passions and families. It is a fun Le Figaro link and I enjoy how multiple spouses are illustrated (Sarkozy had one more than I expected!).
We have 2 weeks and a half to see if this sign posted in a rue near my house will ring true. I will be glued to the minuscule television set in my apartment when the results come it on both Sunday nights. It is always fun to witness history.
I sign-off with a recent quote from Sarkozy that illustrates the intensity of the race (and perhaps desperation of NS) in these final days before voting begins:
“Hollande lies from morning to night.” – Nicolas Sarkozy
