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When in 2012, after losing the presidential elections, Nikolas Sarkozy announced he will be withdrawing from politics, many doubted his decision. Nobody could imagine that the Former French president could give up the Élysée all of a sudden. This turned out to be true – on the 24th of August, Sarkozy published his new book – “All for France” in which he announced that he will once again run for president in 2017.
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In his book (2nd for the last 8 months) the ex-president defines the 5 key words which will guide him thought out this new path: competitively, freedom, authority, truth and identity. But are the ideas, presented in his book enough to stabilize and strengthen France or are we bound to listen to the same old song?
Although Nicolas Sarkozy announced he will be retiring from politics after losing to Francois Hollande, he did not stay long out of the spotlights. In 2014, he became leader of the party “Union for a Popular Movement”, which he later renamed to “The Republicans”.
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In “All for France”, Sarkozy shares his ideas and his future projects in case of winning the presidency. Main topics are economy, security, unemployment and relations with Europe. However the questions on which Sarkozy mostly focuses are not a surprise to anyone – immigration, secularism in France and national identity. Topics that accompanied Sarkozy’s previous mandate as president, and will undoubtedly be the center of his new campaign.
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In the chapter on immigration, Sarkozy says the French is a patriot who defends his security and understands that migration must be stopped. After more than a year of terrorist attacks, Sarkozy used France’s current situation to win right-wing and far-right voters with a sharp policy on security and Islam.
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Embracing the populist rhetoric, Sarkozy uses every occasion of chaos and controversy to draw attention to himself. One example is the “burkini” scandal. A “burkini” is a combination between a burqa and a bikini, which is prohibited in some seaside cities in France. The former French president who banned the wearing of burqas now uses the restlessness in his favor. The Interior Minister – Bernard Cazeneuve said the ban on burkinis would be against the constitution of France. Sarkozy, in return, promised that If elected again, would change the constitution to allow it to become possible. The question stays whether such occasions are sufficient to modify the constitution.
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This type of policy distances Sarkozy away from his other opponents, who lead more economically oriented campaigns as Alain Juppé and Bruno Le Maire. For Sarkozy, however this tactic remains his favorite weapon which the former president is using to win supporters from the “National Front”.
This might be a good strategy in the short term, but by no means is it a good tactic for winning the presidential elections. In my opinion there are two reasons:
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Populist ideas are a good way to gather votes, but this type of policy can only serve as a temporary alternative. We made sure of this during the regional elections in 2015. During the first round Marine Le Pen gathered nearly 30% of the votes but this only provided her with a temporary lead. In the second round her party was defeated by “The Republicans”. What these elections show is that even in times of chaos and uncertainty, after November 11th , the French electorate realizes what type of leader it needs. France’s next president should be a person who will unite the people and lead the state towards modern reforms and prosperity. One who creates tensions between neighbors and intolerance in the society won’t be able to develop the country.
What the French state needs at this stage are progressive ideas and reforms. The ideas on which Sarkozy focuses so much are the same from 5 years ago – when he ran for president and lost. By focusing on less global things such as the removal of pork alternatives for Muslim children in school canteens, Sarkozy would lose voters who want to see significant reforms in the economy, justice and foreign policy of France.
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“The preservation of national identity” is not synonymous with intolerance and conservatism. On the contrary – the development of national values and the protection of identity can and should go hand in hand with modernization.
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After the announcement of his candidacy, Sarkozy lost 13 points in the polls for the right wing. Thus, the difference between him and France’s favorite – Alain Juppé, increases even more. This should be a concern for the candidate, especially when “les primaries” are in only 2 months.
In his new book, Sarkozy presents his return to the political arena as the long waited salvation for the French people. He would be the person to carry out the country from its state of fear and instability. As he writes: “France asks to give her all. I feel I have the strength to lead the battle in such a turbulent time in our history. The next five years will be filled with danger but also hope.”
To win the presidency, however, he must first fight off the strong competition in his party. In early September were announced the official candidates to win the nomination for the right. Sarkozy will have to fight another 6 men and a woman from his own party to secure a place in the presidential race.
His biggest rival is Alain Juppé. Former Prime Minister from Jacques Chirac’s office, Juppé leads in all polls and remains a favorite of the French people. Besides Juppé, unlike Sarkozy, remains backed by the left wing and the center, gathering even more support from the voters.
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What leaves us is to continue to follow all candidates’ campaigns and their development. Something particularly interesting with a huge influence for the forthcoming elections will be the three televised debate on the 13th October, 3rd and 17th November. Certainly, this year the right is extremely strong, each of the candidates is distinguished by its specific qualities, good and bad sides.
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Unfortunately, in his last term, Sarkozy has failed to show he is the „reformer” who France waited. Before him, however, remains the question whether he will persuade the French that he can provide his people with what they need, or whether France would prefer one of the last representatives of the golden political generation Alain Juppé. Sarkozy will certainly continue to shock with his unpredictability, but only during the elections could we see if this will pay off or not.
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- Viktoria Buchkova
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