Posted on 05/05/2007 6:19:01 PM PDT by Cincinna
The French presidential campaign officially closed Friday with the Gaullist front-runner, Nicolas Sarkozy, looking ever more assured of winning Sunday and his Socialist rival, Ségolène Royal, predicting street violence if he is elected.
Her warning came after the two latest opinion polls suggested Sarkozy would beat her by a bigger margin than predicted a few days ago, before a combative debate on national television in which Sarkozy kept his cool under rhetorical fire from Royal.
"Choosing Nicolas Sarkozy would be a dangerous choice," Royal told the radio station RTL.
"It is my responsibility today to warn people of the risk of his candidacy concerning the violence and brutality that would be unleashed in the country," she said, suggesting that unrest was especially likely in the volatile suburbs that were the site of rioting in 2005.
Whoever wins, the 2007 election will go down in history as one that shook France's political landscape. Sarkozy built a united party machine on the right, and while Royal failed to paper over the large cracks in the Socialist party, the emergence of a strong centrist vote for François Bayrou, third-place finisher in the first round two weeks ago, helped change the left. It must now decide whether to jettison traditional socialism in favor of the more market-oriented social democracy embraced by the left elsewhere in Europe.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
The Socialist Party bigshots who tried to push Royal to the more moderate center are already speaking out.
Bernard Kouchner, a former cabinet minister and veteran Socialist campaigner.
"This election spells the death of old-style socialism and hopefully the birth of social democracy in France."
"the Socialist Party as we know it is dead." Kouchner, the founder of "Doctors Without Borders" and one of the most popular people in France.
"It looks like he might not only win, but win by a landslide," said Brice Teinturier, director of political studies at Sofres.
“the Socialist Party as we know it is dead.” Bernard Kouchner.
I am planning to open a bottle of wonderful French Champagne to toast the victory.
FReepMail me to get on the FRENCH ELECTION PING LIST.
We will follow the Election results and victory celebration, and keep you all updated on the new Sarko government.
I just hope the warning about Muslim violence was the last nail in Royal’s coffin.
I asked this earlier on another FR thread.
What can we in America anticipate from a Sarkozy Administration?
When a person “warns of unrest”, they are generally making blatant threats of violence.
Any common person would certainly be arrested for such statements.
I will lift a toast along side you.
Vive la France!
Her threat makes her sound like she is running a mafia protection racket.
I have heard that Sarkozy is friendly towards America. He is pro-Business, for the use of English as the language of Business and has been good about ridding France of foreign trouble makers. Of course, he would probably be a moderate deomocrat by our standards, but much better than an outright hostile socialist.
“Nice country you have here. Would be a pity if anything happened to it . . . “
Ultimately and inevitably, this is the Left’s only source of power - the threat of mass violence.
“Every Communist must grasp the truth - political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” Chairman Mao
The gall of that woman, to actually suggest that voting for Sarko would cause violence in the streets..its almost as if she’s calling for just that to happen. My hope is that if it does they come down SO hard on the ‘yoots’ they’ll be nursing their wounds for weeks to come..and doing so back in North Africa at that.
GO SARKOZY! I wonder what made France wise up?!
I can imagine Royal wearing dark sunglasses, a black pinstripe suit, and a white necktie while saying that.
No, in fact it's strong enough to have a strangle-hold on France--like a gigantic boa constrictor--and France is nearing its last gasp.
Gore, AMLO, Royal....all cut from the same cloth...
Somewhat like the piture in the post after yours?
I agree, he'd probably be what Rudy is. Which is what France needs.
Good riddance to any and all candidates who think they have some divine right to rule and that their supporters should lay siege to the country when they don't.
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