Posted on 04/25/2007 1:14:26 AM PDT by Cincinna
Socialist Segolene Royal on Tuesday offered French centrists talks on a political pact and possible cabinet posts, in a bid to win over moderate voters who hold the key to a May 6 presidential run-off.
Royal told reporters she was prepared to draw "all the necessary conclusions" if she reached an understanding with Francois Bayrou, whose 6.8 million votes in Sunday's first round ballot have transformed him into a political power-broker.
Right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy finished comfortably ahead of Royal on Sunday but both candidates need to win over the skeptical middle ground if they are to triumph.
Bayrou has called a news conference for Wednesday, but a senior aide told Reuters he would tell his supporters they were free to choose who to vote for in 12 days' time.
"We are a free and independent party which drew 7 million voters." said Jean Lassalle, a senior UDF figure and close Bayrou aide. "We will leave them absolutely free. Let them make the choice which seems the best to serve our country," he said.
Since Sunday's vote Royal has waged a determined Bayrou charm offensive. Asked in the southern city of Montpellier if she was ready to appoint centrist ministers to her government should she win election, Royal said: "Of course".
"A presidential majority is built on a government and on a majority inside the National Assembly," she said, referring to the lower house of parliament.
She suggested talks on five topics in her presidential pact including relaunching Europe, an impartial state and rejecting tensions in France's cities and tinderbox suburbs.
That was a clear jibe at Sarkozy, a former interior minister whose incendiary language is blamed by many for France's worst riots in 40 years which swept rundown urban areas in 2005.
NO HORSE-TRADING
Sarkozy has said he would open up his government to parties outside his ruling UMP force but says he will not cut deals with Bayrou behind the voters' back to win power. His inner circle have accused Royal of putting the pursuit of power before principles.
"At a time when Nicolas Sarkozy wants to unite, Segolene Royal wants to haggle. Haggling also means going back on her ideas and convictions," said Sarkozy spokesman Xavier Bertrand.
A TNS Sofres poll showed 46 percent of Bayrou voters planned to vote for Royal, with just 25 percent for Sarkozy. It also suggested Sarkozy's second round lead over Royal had narrowed to 51 percent, with Royal drawing 49 percent.
But an Ipsos survey also conducted on April 23/24 gave him a 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent advantage over his rival.
The Socialists hope to draw many Bayrou supporters scared by the combative style of the hard-liner into an "anyone but Sarkozy" alliance.
"The Socialist Party dreams of a front, not against my ideas, my project, my convictions or my proposals, but against me as a person," Sarkozy told rally in Normandy, denouncing the left's "common front of hatreds, intolerance and sectarianism."
Bayrou's small Union for French Democracy (UDF) party has been allied with Sarkozy's ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and its small parliamentary contingent had to rely on UMP support to get elected in 2002.
Sarkozy strategist Francois Fillon said Sarkozy's UMP would run against Bayrou's candidates in every constituency unless they cooperated.
(Additional reporting by Danielle Rouquié)
Royal is a rank amateur when it comes to politics. The image of her getting down on her knees begging Bayrou is not an appealing one.
Bayrou is a smary, savy, experienced politician. My prediction: he will probably avoid aligning himself with Royal as that would destroy any hope of a real delegation UDF in the Assemble Nationale elections in June. He will, IMO advise his supporters to vote their conscience.
Tip ‘o the hat to FReeper Lancey Howard for this article.
Freepmail me if you want to be on the FRENCH ELECTION PING LIST .
Tip ‘o the hat to FReeper Lancey Howard for this article.
Freepmail me if you want to be on the FRENCH ELECTION PING LIST .
At least she has promised never to get on her knees for President Bush :-)
White House shrugs off Royal’s Bush jibe
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=39107
On the other hand she just picked up an endorsment:
Chavez: ‘Heart’ lies with French Socialist Royal
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=39088
Cheers.
Sego is desperately trying to win.
I guess she has more options ahead of the runoff, but time is slipping away.
Does that promise apply to the eX-Rated president, Bill Clinton.
I thought the French guillotined all the royals over 200 years ago.
Sarkozky wants to confront this problem now, and Royal is preaching appeasement. She sounds like, “Shhh, everybody be quiet now and it will all go away”. What is strange is that so many people in France are voting for this platform. If the French Muslims are emboldened by a Royal victory, there will be no turning back for France. Those burning cars in the riot areas of Paris are just target practice. The French people have been warned, they have eyes and see what is happening to their country, and yet, they do not seem to have the will to fight back.
Typical leftist tactics, regardless of the country in which they're practiced.
Demonize opponents -- not for, but -- because they have principles and are willing to stand on them. Somehow, this makes people "scary"...
Meanwhile, sacrifice your own "principles" for power. Indeed, the only principle socialists know is "power...at any price".
Thanks. Interesting. Educational. Thanks to all contributors.
The funny thing is the assumption that UDF voters, who have a clear philosophy and who have doggedly pursued it for decades rather than join the right-wing-alliance-flavor-du-jour (Gaullists, RPR, UMP, etc.), will suddenly become vacillating free agents, following their cow-herding shepherd into whatever fold he leads them.
Bayrou knows his people. Even if he TOLD them to vote for Royal, or Sarkozy, they would ignore him and vote their consciences anyway. So, the notion that UDF leaders can somehow “release” their voters to vote for whomever they please is just risible. UDF is UDF, and not UMP or RPR or whatever, precisely BECAUSE UDF voters tend to have a pretty dogged set of philosophical principles.
It is as I said before, from the perspective of the UDF, Sarkozy is a hot-headed asshole who has provoked riots, and whose concept of Affirmative Action is bad for France. And Royal is incompetent, and her party’s old heavy-state socialism are bad for France. UDF voters will pick their poison and split. I think the law-and-order issue is primary. More rural UDF voters, whose largely Catholic villages are simply not feeling the immigrant crime pressure, may be less motivated by the crime problem, but oppose the Affirmative Action idea. I think it will split about 50/50 for Royal and Sarkozy. I don’t think that Bayrou can move that number a lot. A few percentage points perhaps.
Le Pen is the more interesting one here, because his party loyalists really will follow him.
Le Pen is the kiss of death. For decades, the Socialists have used “right wing crazies” like Le Pen or Joerg Haider of Austria to scare the center into center-left coalitions. Sarkozy will be better off without his endorsement, IMHO. But I should think that if Le Pen keeps his mouth shut, which is a big if, then Sakozy will inherit most of his votes. Who else will they vote for? Certainly not Royal, unless they choose to destroy the country and inherit the pieces.
She suggested... rejecting tensions in France's cities and tinderbox suburbs.Rejecting tensions? Meaning, "let's just cover our eyes and pretend they never happened? The original source of this article mentions the ridiculous partisan contention that the already-raging riots over year ago were caused by Sarkozy's tough talk against the already-raging riots. Sounds like the author watches way too many Star Trek time-travel predestination paradox episodes. :')
I hope that the majority of French voters are not fooled into supporting Royal-Go Sarko!
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