Madame La Présidente?
dzetetes.
Posted to Politics on Thu Apr 12, 2007 at 12:41:07 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Ségolène Royal, presidential candidate of the French Parti Socialiste, is poised to square off against UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy for a chance to become the first female head of the French Republic.
The first round of voting will be held on April 22, 2007. If no single candidate receives an absolute majority of the vote, the two candidates who receive the most votes will participate in a second round of voting to be held on May 6, 2007.
Currently, the four serious contenders for the presidency are M. Sarkozy, Mme. Royal, François Bayrou of the centrist UDF, and the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen of the Front National.
Although Sarkozy and Royal have been ahead in the polls, Bayrou is making a stronger showing as the first round approaches, and upsets are certainly not unheard of in recent French elections. Nonetheless, a Sarko/Ségo (as they are styled by the French media) runoff seems likely, if not inevitable.
M. Sarkozy served two terms as French Minister of the Interior, where his law-and-order approach won him popularity, in spite of criticism from civil rights organizations. His handling of the 2005 riots was criticized by the French left-wing, but his tough rhetoric may appeal to voters who would otherwise favor Le Pen.
Although her political career spans 25 years, and she currently serves as president of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, much of the media coverage of Mme. Royal's campaign has focused on the "woman question," and it's no accident:
"Royal is campaigning as a politician. But her slogan -- "La France présidente!" -- "France becomes (a female) president" -- also emphasizes her gender. As does France itself. Indeed, the French voted her into sixth place in a list of women with sex appeal, after Angelina Jolie and Czech-born supermodel Adriana Karembeu, but ahead of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Penelope Cruz. Not bad for a socialist politician born in 1953."
Dubbed The French Hillary by the Anglophone press (and lauded for her "bikini-worthy 53-year-old body " in that same article), the comparison may not be fair, but it is inevitable, given the novelty of major-party female presidential candidates in the U.S. and France.
Interest in the French presidential elections on this side of the Atlantic has been tepid thus far, but could a Royal victory spark further support for a female American president?
