French President Nicolas Sarkozy who formally declared his intention in an interview on France’s TF1 channel on Wednesday February 15, 2012, will face as main challenger, the Socialist candidate, François Hollande.
According to the BBC, Mr. Sarkozy's candidacy had never been in doubt, though current opinion polls suggest Mr. Hollande will win both the first round and a run-off. The announcement came less than ten weeks to Election Day. The French President explained that his decision had been "serious" and "not automatic," adding that he believed he had the right policies for the country over the next five years, the BBC said. He admitted that France, Europe and the world have in the last three years seen a series of unprecedented crises and failing to seek another mandate on his part would amount to abandoning his duties.
Mr. Sarkozy criticised Mr. Hollande for concentrating too much on attacking him, asking where were the ideas Hollande is going to put forward. President Sarkozy, who describes himself as the captain of a boat in the heart of a storm, has been stepping up his profile recently, launching his Twitter account on Wednesday and planning a large rally in the southern port of Marseille on Sunday. He is expected to reveal his manifesto at the Marseille rally.
According to France 24 television channel, Sarkozy’s re-election bid comes at a critical moment as France grapples with the fallout from Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and struggles to shore up its own economy. Though opinion polls in the past several months have consistently put Sarkozy behind Hollande, it now looks as though the incumbent’s fortunes are possibly changing. According to a February 13 poll by IPSOS, Sarkozy’s popularity has inched upwards by two points, while Hollande’s has ebbed by four, narrowing the gap between the two candidates.
Meanwhile, the Socialist Party spokesman, Manuel Valls on February 13, 2012 threatened to file a complaint with the National Committee on Campaign Accounts against Sarkozy for allegedly using public funds to finance his re-election bid. The Socialists have repeatedly accused Sarkozy of violating campaign financing rules with a series of official visits throughout the country.
The son of a Hungarian immigrant, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected President of France in 2007 over a Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal. He promised a rupture with the past and vowed to put more money into people’s pockets, cut taxes and make France more competition.
