Press review

You will find below a selection of links to news articles, from all over the world, in English, about Nicolas Sarkozy and the 2007 French Presidential campaign :

Sarkozy Wins in France and Vows Break With Past
The New York Times - May 7, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France on Sunday, promising a break with the past, a new style of leadership, and a renewal of relations with the United States and the rest of Europe.

World leaders rush to congratulate Sarkozy
International Herald Tribune - May 6, 2007
World leaders rushed to congratulate France's President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping he would help boost international efforts to address issues from climate change and Middle East peace to salvaging the EU's beleaguered constitution.

Sarkozy reaches out to U.S. and Europe
Reuters - 6 May 2007
French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy pledged his commitment to Europe after his victory in Sunday's run-off election and said the United States could also rely on the friendship of France.

Sarkozy can transform France, abroad at least
Times Online - 6 May 2007
Now that Nicolas Sarkozy is President of France, will it make much difference? It could. But more likely abroad than at home, and only if voters demonstrate a sustained appetite for change, which so far they have not.

Sarkozy one of France's most polarizing postwar leaders
International Herald Tribune - May 6, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy is one of the most polarizing figures to move into Élysée Palace in the postwar era. He is a whirling dervish of ideas who inspires hope and fear on both sides of the French political scene.

Sarkozy elected France's president
Reuters - May 6, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy triumphed in France's presidential election on Sunday, beating his Socialist rival Segolene Royal by a comprehensive margin.

Sarkozy and Royal stick to their scripts in a heated debate
International Herald Tribune - May 2, 2007
In a long awaited debate on national television, Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal traded barbs but barely strayed from known positions before an audience of millions of people seeking an answer to the question of who should lead this country out of its malaise.

Debate Highlights
France 24 - May 2, 2007
Debate Highlights from the debate on national television opposing Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal

Who, exactly, is Sarkozy?
International Herald Tribune - April 29, 2007
Sarkozy is , to most American and European observers, a free-marketer who will bring supply-side economics to France, cut its bureaucracy, deregulate its labor market, reduce its debt, and open France to the winds of globalization. Yet as economics minister, he called for "economic patriotism" and arranged for a state rescue of Alstom, France's world-leading power and high-speed rail conglomerate.

French Candidate Holds a Curious Debate
New York Times - April 29, 2007
In an effort to broaden her appeal, Ségolène Royal engaged in a televised debate on Saturday with François Bayrou, a man who is no longer even a candidate for the presidency of France.

Europe’s leaders eye Sarkozy partnership
Financial Times - April 26 2007
Angela Merkel, German chancellor, José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, and Tony Blair, British prime minister, have privately discussed the idea of forming a “strategic partnership” with Mr Sarkozy.

Institutes predict a President Sarkozy
International Herald Tribune - April 23, 2007
Five separate surveys by major polling institutes see Sarkozy as breezing to victory over the Socialist contender on May 6 with up to 54 percent of the vote.

Sarkozy is France's best chance for reviva
Dallas New - April 22, 2007
Neither Ms. Royal, as seemingly incompetent as she is glamorous, nor the affable nostalgist Mr. Bayrou offers a substantial departure from the status quo. How ironic, then, that the official conservative candidate, Mr. Sarkozy, is the one most likely to shake up the sclerotic system.

Sarkozy steps ahead
The Economist - April 22, 2007
According to early estimates of the first-round vote, held on Sunday April 22nd, Mr Sarkozy topped the poll, with just over 31%, securing a fair lead over Ms Royal, on 26%.

Sarkozy and Royal win first round in French elections
International Herald Tribune - April 22, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal triumphed in the first round of the presidential elections Sunday.

French election: The candidates respond
Nature - April 19, 2007
To further the debate over the French research community's standing and prospects, Nature submitted a list of questions on research issues to the three leading candidates.

Don’t Tell Anyone I Am a Sarkozyst!
CNBC - April 18, 2007
Most of the French CEOs will vote for Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday. But still it has to remain a secret. You never know, should Ségolène Royal become the next president, it could hurt your business and damage your relationship with the government.

Sarkozy not afraid to frighten French
Financial Times - April 17 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy’s reputation as the candidate who most frightens voters is “a good sign”, according to the centre-right front-runner in France’s presidential race.

‘Economist’ backs Sarkozy as ‘France’s Chance’ in presidential race
The Manilla Time - April 13, 2007
Influential weekly The Economist came out in support of Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency, while saying its choice was “faute de mieux”—for want of anyone better.

Royal Struggles in French Election Race
Time/CNN - April 13, 2007
Fellow Socialist and former Prime Minister Michel Rocard appeared Friday to admit that only by teaming up with one of her rivals can Royal hope to beat Nicolas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy to Cut Company Taxes if Elected
Forbes - April 6, 2007
Sarkozy wants to bring France's company tax to the same level as the country's European partners - around 25 percent.

Meet the wife: Sarko’s secret weapon
The Sunday Times - April 1, 2007
Cécilia Sarkozy, a 48-year-old communications expert, is often described as one of the candidate’s most alluring assets and exercises enormous influence over every aspect of the campaign, say aides to Sarkozy.

Sarkozy promises tough love
Sunday Telegraph - March 31, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy will give France a short, sharp shock if he is elected president, pushing through what one of his close aides described as "tough love" measures in his first weeks in power.

Sarkozy aims to block foreign takeovers
Financial Times UK - March 29, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy has underlined his determination to block foreign takeovers of strategic French companies by fiercely condemning last year’s acquisition of Arcelor, Europe’s biggest steel group.

French Favor Sarkozy to Lift French Economic Growth
Bloomberg - March 29, 2007
French voters say Nicolas Sarkozy is more likely than his Socialist rival Segolene Royal to boost economic growth and cut state debt, a poll found.

Rivals attack Sarkozy after Paris clashes
Reuters UK - March 28, 2007
Rivals accused rightist presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy of worsening tension between youths and police on Wednesday after clashes at a Paris train station overnight.

Sarkozy quits post to take on Royal
Telegraph UK - March 26, 2007
After resigning his position as interior minister at an official ceremony in Paris today, Mr Sarkozy, is expected to hand over his duties to François Baroin, the current overseas minister.

Royal uses family to 'Soft-Sego' France
Telegraph UK - March 25, 2007
She has been described as a cold, arrogant, and empty-headed egomaniac, driven by one ambition: to get her hands on the keys to the Élysée -Palace. Now, Ségolène Royal is hitting back in a new book to be published on tuesday.

Sarkozy backs Haiti conference
CNN International - March 23, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy pledged during a visit to the French Caribbean to press for a conference on peace and economic development in Haiti if he is elected.

Questions and Answers : Bayrou Speaks
Time - March 21, 2007
Centrist François Bayrou has emerged as if from nowhere to become a real contender in the French presidential elections. No one is quite sure what he'll do if he wins, but that hasn't dimmed his appeal, at least not yet.

Chirac backs Sarkozy in poll race
BBC News - March 21, 2007
French President Jacques Chirac announced he would give his "vote and support" to Mr Sarkozy in his bid for the presidency. Mr Chirac also announced Mr Sarkozy would be leaving the government on 26 March to focus on the race.

France formalizes list of 12 presidential candidates
International Herald Tribune - March 18, 2007
Constitutional Council released the official list of presidential candidates for next month's elections — a dozen hopefuls from Trotskyists to a militant farmer already jockeying in a heated and still-open race.

French women want woman president--just not Royal
The Washington Post - March 18, 2007
Barely five weeks before the French presidential election, the voters who should be among Royal's strongest constituency--women tired of male dominance in every political and professional sphere in France--are among her toughest critics.

Royal is incompetent, says adviser
The Times - March 17, 2007
Ségolène Royal suffered a fresh setback to her presidential aspirations yesterday when a disgruntled adviser attacked her as an incompetent amateur and egomaniac who was a danger to France.

11 French hopefuls make deadline
CNN International - March 16, 2007
Eleven French presidential hopefuls said they had made Friday evening's deadline to gather and file the 500 endorsements needed to run for the country's highest office.

Villepin backs his old rival for president
International Herald Tribune - March 12, 2007
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Monday formally endorsed his rival, the center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, for president.

France's Chirac will not seek re-election
The New Zealand Herald - March 12, 2007
French President Jacques Chirac announced he would not seek re-election next month, bowing out of frontline politics after a 45-year career that consisted of symbolic gestures as much as concrete policies.

A ‘Neither/Nor’ Candidate for President in France
New York Times - March 7, 2007
François Bayrou, a 55-year-old politician, farmer and former classics teacher, has upended the race with a very American theme: put partisanship aside and end the false promises of the big parties.

Is Royal progressive enough for France ?
Reuters - March 6, 2007
Compared with Germany's Angela Merkel, who talked little about her gender and wore no-nonsense black trouser suits on her way to becoming chancellor, Royal has built her campaign around the image of a youthful, feminine leader.

French politicians focus on Airbus before vote
Reuters - March 5, 2007
As Airbus announced 10,000 job cuts, including 4,300 in France, the ruling right's main candidate in presidential elections heads for Toulouse to build trust with workers on the eve of a strike.

Sarkozy Outlines Foreign Policy for France
New York Time - March 1, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy wants to toughen sanctions against Iran, keep Turkey out of the European Union, create an independent European defense strategy and have a friendly but not a submissive relationship with the United States.

Sarkozy takes campaign to Madrid
International Herald Tribune - February 27, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy took his campaign to the Spanish capital on Tuesday, wooing expatriate voters and calling on them to join him in his project to revitalize France. He met with Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and opposition leaders.

Royal's Resisted Rise
The New York Sun - February 27, 2007
Why has the socialist candidate fallen from grace so quickly? And why has Mr. Sarkozy proved to be so resilient?

Sarkozy says job cuts could cost Alcatel-Lucent
Reuters - February 26, 2007
Sarkozy said on Monday Alcatel-Lucent should pay back any public funding it received from France for work that would be moved elsewhere under a cost-cutting plan. He also said politicians should abandon nationalistic thinking as planemaker Airbus seeks to cut costs to remain competitive.

Sarkozy to relinquish interior ministry
Financial Times UK - February 25, 2007
In an interview, Mr Sarkozy said he would leave the interior ministry around the end of March to devote himself to overcoming Ségolène Royal, his Socialist rival.

God help France if it falls for the charms of Ms Royal
The Independant UK - February 25, 2007
Ségolène Royal's famous "100 Point Plan" seems more like "100 Ways to Make Things Worse".

Sarkozy wants 'protective EU' to offset globalisation
EurActiv - February 23, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy has reiterated criticism of "fiscal" and "social" dumping inside the EU's borders and pleaded for stronger political control over the European Central Bank.

Royal retools campaign team
International Herald Tribune - February 22, 2007
French Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal announced that former rivals would join her retooled campaign team as part of an effort to shore up her flagging campaign.

Sarkozy First, Bayrou Third in France
Angus Reid Global Monitor - February 18, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy is still the top-rated presidential candidate in France, according to a poll by Louis-Harris released by RMC.

Top aide resigns as Royal wavers
The Australian - February 17, 2007
The campaign of Segolene Royal suffered a fresh blow yesterday when her main economic adviser resigned.

Royal's Presidential Program Fails to Spark Rebound in Polls
Bloomberg - February 15, 2007
French Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal's announcement of a 100-point program has failed to boost her campaign, opinion polls show.

Sarkozy to push for tax on hedge funds
Financial Times UK - February 14, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy will push for a European tax on “speculative movements” by financial groups, such as hedge funds, if he wins this year’s French presidential elections.

Sarkozy says his French manifesto costs 30 bln euro
Washington Post - February 13, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy has estimated that his electoral program will cost 30 billion euros ($39 billion) over five years, but said it would be partly offset by stimulating economic growth.

Segolene Royal: hundredweight or lightweight ?
Guardian Unlimited Blog - February 12, 2007
Segolene Royal's opponents are in full voice today - but they can no longer accuse France's would-be president of lacking policies.

Ségolène's New Tack: a Hard Left French
Time / CNN - February 12, 2007
Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal announces her political agenda for the forthcoming election campaign.

French Intellectuals Abandoning Royal
CBS News - February 9, 2007
French intellectuals abandon Socialist candidate at critical juncture in presidential race.

Chirac hints he will not stand for third presidential term
International Herald Tribune - February 8, 2007
French President Jacques Chirac still isn't saying whether he is running for re-election in two months — but he has acknowledged that he is thinking about "life after politics."

Sarkozy letter surprises French cartoons hearing
Reuters - February 7, 2007
A French paper accused of insulting Muslims by printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad surprised a court hearing on Wednesday with a letter of support from Nicolas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy wins plaudits for TV debate
Financial Times - February 6, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy won plaudits for keeping his cool as he was aggressively quizzed by the public on prime time television over policies ranging from immigration and gay rights to Sunday shop opening hours.

Sarkozy against military action in Iran
Reuters UK - February 5, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy opposed any talk of military intervention in Iran on Monday and said he was a friend of the United States but not an unquestioning one.

Royal dilemma as Sarkozy shoots ahead
CNN International - February 2, 2007
France's love affair with Segolene Royal has cooled markedly since the start of 2007 and she needs to act fast if she wants to woo back voters who are now dating her arch rival Nicolas Sarkozy.

Come home, Sarkozy tells London exiles
The Guardian (UK) - January 31, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy told a rally of French expatriates in London last night that if they voted him president they need no longer fear returning home.

Sarkozy takes lessons from Britain's unemployment policy during visit to London
International Herald Tribune - January 29, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy said that Britain's policy of cutting financial support for those unwilling to work offered a lesson for French jobseekers.

Royal Loses Her Magic
Time (US) - January 26, 2007
So where did the magic go? Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate for France's upcoming presidential elections, seemed bulletproof last autumn after trouncing two opponents with high-powered resumés. But in the two weeks since the governing conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) affirmed Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as its candidate, Sego is looking aimless and rattled.

Sarkozy promises economic revolution
Financial Times (UK) - January 22, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the flagbearer of France’s Gaullist right, promised a “real economic revolution” if he won the presidential elections in May by offering employees new tax incentives to earn more money by working longer hours.

Poll: Sarkozy edges ahead of Royal
CNN (US) - January 18, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, buoyed by his weekend nomination as the French right's presidential candidate and by rifts in his rival's camp, edged out Socialist Segolene Royal in a poll recently released.

Sego in the land of the Soviets
Time (US) - October 26, 2006
Ségolène Royal proposes to establish "citizens' juries," drawn by random lot, to assess the work of representatives between elections. Such "popular surveillance" of deputies and other elected officials, she said, would help bridge France's chronic gulf between the elected and the electorate.