tagged w/ French politics
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Last night a hacker took over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook account and posted a fake status message announcing that he was abandoning plans to run for re-election. "Dear compatriots, given the exceptional circumstances our country is experiencing, I have decided in my spirit and conscience not to run for office again at the end of my mandate in 2012," said the spoof message.It linked to a separate page with an invitation to "leaving drinks" for Sarkozy - set for election day on May 6 next year at Le Fouquet's cafe on the Champs Elysees, where he celebrated winning the presidency in 2007.The fake announcement was posted on Sunday evening on the president's official page on the popular social networking site, and contained several spelling mistakes. It was soon taken down."My Facebook account was hacked into this evening, perhaps to remind me that no system is infallible," said a message on the page after it was reclaimed by the legitimate account holder.
Last night a hacker took over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook... more
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On a recent cover, weekly French newsmagazine Le Point featured a photo of a confounded- looking President Nicolas Sarkozy in a heavy rainstorm with a headline that read what's happening to him? Both the image and the question captured Sarkozy's transformation from a leader who could do no wrong to one whose every move seems to incite opposition or controversy — even among allies. Many of the French President's woes exist because voters are confused about what he stands for. His decisions seem to contradict each other, they complain, and his policies are often ideologically schizophrenic. "For the first two years of his presidency, Sarkozy convinced French public opinion that all he had to do was announce reform for it to be as good as done — that his word and desired results were one and the same," says Denis Muzet, president of Médiascopie, a public-opinion research institute in Paris. "Since last January, however, people have not only begun complaining it's all gesticulation with little real result, but that the reforms themselves are clashing in nature, illegible in content, and often harmful in what they achieve. They see no ideological coherence ... in Sarkozy's reform or leadership."
Which means that the more salient question might actually be: Who is Nicolas Sarkozy? The answer depends on when you study him. Is he the man elected President in May 2007, who immediately set out to lower income taxes, scrap France's 35-hour workweek, revoke special retirement privileges for public-transport workers, and harangue employees to "work more to earn more"? Or is he the leader who in the past year has slapped down greedy bankers, fumed at U.S. and British resistance to French plans for strict new regulations of the global finance sector, and preached the gospel of "moralizing capitalism"? Is he the man, a son of a Hungarian immigrant, who, newly elected, challenged French pretense of color-blind égalité by arguing for American-style affirmative action? Or is he the leader who, facing critical regional elections next March, has begun openly courting voters of the extreme-right National Front with a crackdown on illegal aliens and a divisive national debate on immigration and French identity?
All politicians contradict themselves, of course. It's almost impossible to remain perfectly consistent and ideologically pure under the watchful gaze of the media — especially in an age when conflicting statements are just a click on YouTube away. But Sarkozy's slipperiness is notable because his political success has been built around his reputation as a straight talker and someone who acts rather than bloviates. Now many voters — and even some of his former allies — are questioning the President they thought they knew. "This is classic Sarkozy: claiming [that] adaptable principles and a willingness to take any stand likely to reinforce his own political interests are in fact proof of pragmatism and openness to all views," says a former adviser to conservative politicians, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Zero conviction and fidelity — except to himself."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1945259-1,00.html#ixzz0Ynfjc3Xd
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1945259-1,00.html#ixzz0Ynfa7GQwOn a recent cover, weekly French newsmagazine Le Point featured a photo of a... more
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Nicolas Sarkozy has never been described as subtle in his political ways but he may now have outdone even himself.
In the space of just one lunchtime, the French president managed to criticize Barack Obama, patronise Angela Merkel and insult José Luis Zapatero.
According to a witness "he said that Obama had a subtle intelligence but that he was recently elected and had never run a state or an authority before." Another guest quoted Sarkozy as saying: "there are numerous things on which he [Obama] hasn't got a position and ... he is not always up to scratch with decisions and efficiency."
Sarkozy then ploughed on with some barbed comments about Merkel's leadership during the crisis.
"Once she realised the state of her banks and her car industry, she had no choice but to come round to my position," he said.
Sarkozy waited until desert to deliver his punch line this time aimed at Zapatero declaring that "Perhaps he's not very intelligent." The remark was emphatically denied by the Elysée but confirmed by sources present at the lunch, held on Tuesday.
Finally, in guise of “digestif” Sarkozy is said to have declared that: "The important thing in democracy is to be re-elected. Look at Berlusconi. He has been re-elected three times."Nicolas Sarkozy has never been described as subtle in his political ways but he may... more
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Natt
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2 years ago
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"Sarkozy's lawyer, arguing that the president had the exclusive right to his image, had earlier called on the makers to withdraw the dolls from sale, but the company refused to do so.""Sarkozy's lawyer, arguing that the president had the exclusive right to his... more
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The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has made a deal to confirm his promises toward making France one of the leader countries on the war against global warming.The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has made a deal to confirm his promises toward... more
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Capricious, mercurial or just unlucky? The failure of France's first lady to show up to lunch with U.S. President George W. Bush has once again raised questions about Cecilia Sarkozy's character. (CNN)Capricious, mercurial or just unlucky? The failure of France's first lady to show... more
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khsing
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4 years ago
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Nicolas Sarkozy plans to spend his summer vacation on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. (NYT)Nicolas Sarkozy plans to spend his summer vacation on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee... more
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khsing
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4 years ago
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NYT: The former prime minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, was placed under formal investigation on Friday in an inquiry into whether he was involved in a campaign to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before Mr. Sarkozy won the presidency. NYT: The former prime minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, was placed under... more
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khsing
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4 years ago
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