France: Can Sarko get his groove back?

last updated 8 January 2015

Raphaëlle Bacqué and François Fressoz

Le Monde

President Nicolas Sarkozy is not the ebullient candidate he once was, said Raphaëlle Bacqué and François Fressoz. When he first ran for president, back in 2007, he was “like a rock star,” pouring dynamism into his campaign rallies. He toured the country tirelessly, promoting his radical platform of work, responsibility, and authority. Now, though, it all just seems like a chore. With eight weeks to go before the presidential election, Sarkozy has shifted into campaign mode, trying to revive the image of the successful candidate of yesteryear. But “his hollow cheeks, his frequent bursts of anger, and the visible tension in the past weeks prove that he’s kicking off his presidential campaign tired.” He blames sleepless nights on his baby daughter, “as if to hide the exhausted president behind the new father.” Sarkozy faces an uphill battle: Since his election, his center-right party has lost all other elections, and now the economy is tanking, too. Still, he hasn’t lost his famous arrogance. The president never doubts himself and constantly insists he’s the best. At times, that optimism makes him seem “oblivious to reality.”