ROYAL ATTACKING SARKO TODAY IN FRONT OF 40,000 SUPPORTERS
Posted on 05/01/2007 9:11:43 PM PDT by Cincinna
- Socialist Segolene Royal on Tuesday warned France faces the risk of unrest if rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy wins the presidential election at the weekend and puts in motion change with "brutality."
With five days to go before the vote, Royal told some 60,000 supporters at a Paris sports stadium that she was the only candidate who "wants to reform France and wants civil peace in my country."
"We are confronting a risk: the brutality in the conduct of public affairs could endanger social peace and civil peace," said Royal.
"This danger is contained in the programme of the rightwing candidate," she said at the rally attended by some of France's top music stars.
Royal, who wants to become France's first woman president, has been trailing Sarkozy in the polls ahead of the election on Sunday that has been dominated by calls for change after 12 years under President Jacques Chirac.
An Ipsos/Dell survey published Tuesday showed Sarkozy would beat Royal with 53 percent of votes against 47 percent.
Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, has pushed a right-wing programme based on the themes of work and national identity. His tough talk has sparked fears he would divide rather than unite the nation.
It was under his watch as interior minister that the immigrant-high suburbs exploded into rioting in late 2005 and there have been warnings of a flareup.
Royal, an army officer's daughter, has presented herself as a nurturing figure and has proposed a leftist economic programme that would keep France's generous welfare system intact.
In the final stretch of her campaign, Royal charged that Sarkozy was trying to "disguise his record" as a member of the outgoing government and "rewrite history".
"I am committed to reforming France without brutality and without shock," said Royal, adding that she stood for "a France without violence and which embraces its energy to move forward in civil peace."
The 53-year-old former adviser to president Francois Mitterrand spoke of a growing anger among disillusioned citizens and drew a parallel with the May 1968 student protests.
"There is in France today the same type of growing anger, frustration, misunderstanding. There are millions of people who have the impression that they are worthless," she said.
Royal accused Sarkozy of "dreaming about a new May '68 so that he can restore order" and asserted that she "wanted to create dialogue, democracy, social compromise so that France can move forward".
Before some 40,000 supporters in Paris on Sunday, Sarkozy, 52, railed against "the heirs of May '68", accusing them of ridding France of its values and said he wanted France "to turn the page on May '68".
Royal is to come face-to-face with Sarkozy in a much-anticipated television debate on Wednesday that is expected to be watched by more than 20 million viewers.
Earlier in the day, far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen called on his 3.8 million supporters in the first round to abstain in the runoff, saying that neither Royal nor Sarkozy were up to the job.
"Both of them are official representatives of parties and policies that for the past 30 years have brought France to the brink of a political, economic, social, cultural and moral abyss," he told cheering supporters in Paris.
The National Front leader, who stunned France in 2002 when he made it to the run-off presidential ballot against Chirac, urged his voters to "save their votes" for parliamentary elections in June.
The attacks will come hard and heavy from now until Sunday.
My prediction is Royal will overplay it, and Sarko will keep his cool and come off looking strong, solid, but not harsh.
This attacks may gin up her troops, but they won’t get anyone to change his mind. Sarko, by being the underdog, and being attacked, can, if he plays it correctly, use it to push him over the top.
FReepMail me if you want to be on the FRENCH ELECTION PING LIST.
I think Royal will win. The feminists have been pushing for a Western triumvirate for a long time - Royal will “open the door” for Hillary. Terrible.
If Royal loses, as it seems more likely every day, it will be a bad message for a Hillary future.
Sarko’s not the underdog. You need to re-read the article. Sarko is already leading Royal in the polls by 53 to 47.
Cough. It's the "long, hot summer" stratergery. Brings back memories. Once upon a time it brought back Nixon.
leftist french du du sounds just like
leftist american du du.
oui, oui.
Has anyone marked the incongruity of a socialist being called Royal?
What a surprise! The leftist trashing the more viable candidate. The politics of personal destruction have crossed over the Atlantic. Leftists are the same on all continents.
No kidding! Lenin would be turning in his grave.
Royal told some 60,000 supporters at a Paris sports stadium that she was the only candidate who "wants to reform France and wants civil peace in my country."Yeah, Sarkozy wants open warfare. What a lying whore Royal is.
“His tough talk has sparked fears he would divide rather than unite the nation.”
Nothing divides a nation more than Socialism!
I have been posting all the articles to the FRENCH ELECTION PING LIST. Obviously, I read them before I post them.
My point is that Sarko has much to gain by being attacked, and being perceived as the underdog. Royal is already screeching and overplaying her hand. Sarko will keep is sangfroid and go on to victory.
It is only going to get worse before Sunday.
I watched re runs of early debates - Giscard v Mitterand Mitterand v Chirac. Lower blows and dirtier than any American debate ever.
Sounds like she’s getting a bit desperate and is ratcheting up the rhetoric.
Sounds like she’s getting a bit desperate and is ratcheting up the rhetoric.
The “leftist” mainstream media has been the same politically everywhere in the world for a very long time.
In anticipation of a Sarko victory, the Paris Bourse, the Stock Exchange, the CAC 40 (the French equivalent of the Dow-Jones Industrial Average) went over the bench mark of 6,000 points. For the first time in 6 1/2 years the Paris Bourse gained 0,68 % in the beginning of trading Wednesday morning pushing it over the 6,000 mark.
(AFP) Plus d'informations sur Le Monde.fr
thanks for the great work keeping us all up to date, can’t wait for the debate!
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