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France: Shaping Up To Test For Sarkozy’s Job …

  • August 30th, 2010
  • Posted by EUEditor

segolene-r-resize.jpgA rally of supporters of Segolene Royal (picture), Socialist Party candidate for President in 2007, has sharpened attention to the coming “primary season” in France.

The former parliamentarian and party leader met participants in the Segolene Royal Internet movement Desires d’Avenir (Desires for the Future; future hopes) at la Rochelle.

Many, reported by Le Monde, pledged to work actively if their champion was nominated again, to contest the Presidential elections set for 2012.

Yet they agreed there would be closing of ranks across factions in any event, for the sake of getting a change of government: “L’objectif premier, c’est de chaser Sarkozy” (first goal, get rid of Sarkozy) was the slogan.

sarkozy-reduced2.jpgPresident Nicolas Sarkozy (picture) who defeated Royal three years ago has not declared whether he will stand for a second term.

Segolene Royal, now 56,  went on to a severe defeat within her party in November 2008, losing the leadership, as First Secretary, to Martine Aubry, 60, a former Minister – notably as author of the “Loi Aubry”  that brought in the famous 35-hour week.

(Aubry, currently ahead of Royal in opinion polls, for a preferred President, is also the daughter of Jacques Delors, previously a French Finance Minister and the President of the European Commission, 1985-95, who engineered the “1992 “ program for expansion of the EU).

The front runner in the polls, among potential Socialist Party candidates, is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 61, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, another former Minister, defeated for pre-selection by Segolene Royal  in the primaries for 2007.

Reference

Samuel Laurent, Le Monde, Paris, 28.8.10. “Pour les partisans de Royal, ‘en 2012, ce sera elle‘”, (for Royal supporters, 2012 will be the year).

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2010/08/28/pour-les-partisans-de-royal-en-2012-ce-sera-elle_1403693_823448.html#xtor=EPR-32280229-[NL_Titresdujour]-20100828-[zonea]&ens_id=1402952, (29.8.10).
Picture Wikipedia