France: The man Sarkozy pushed aside

Sophie Pilgrim

France24.com

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s archenemy is back and baying for his blood, said Sophie Pilgrim. Dominique de Villepin has been acquitted of all charges of trying to smear Sarkozy—charges Villepin says were trumped up—and has just announced that he will run for president. The two men developed their “bitter rivalry” when they were both cabinet ministers under Jacques Chirac.

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Back then, Villepin seemed the natural choice to succeed as president. Tan, suave, articulate, “and hovering almost a foot above Sarkozy in height,” Villepin “would beat the current president hands down in a beauty pageant.” And unlike Sarkozy’s “cringe-inducing” speeches, Villepin’s addresses are “a joy to listen to.” When, as foreign minister in 2003, he took the lectern at the U.N. to argue against the Iraq war, the Security Council gave him a rare standing ovation.

Yet Villepin quickly disappeared from the political scene, brought down by a string of corruption scandals he claims were made up by Sarkozy’s entourage. Does he have a chance now? The day after his announcement, he was polling at just 1 percent. But that could change. Sarkozy, at this point, is “largely despised.” Villepin is charming, and the French admire charm.