Baku-APA. The 59-year-old former French President, who pledged to quit politics after his defeat by Socialist Francois Hollande in May 2012, said today on his Facebook page and in Twitter posts that he will run for his UMP party’s presidency, a stepping stone to the 2017 presidential race nomination, APA reports quoting Blomberg News.
“It’s after long reflection that I’ve decided to offer the French a new political choice because it would be a form of negligence to remain a bystander to the situation that France finds itself in,” he wrote.
Sarkozy’s official return to politics is a further hurdle to Hollande, 60, already the most unpopular French leader in over half a century. Opinion polls show French voters don’t want Hollande to run for re-election and he would stand little chance if he did. The French economy has barely grown during his two years in office, and the number of jobless has risen to a record 3.4 million from 2.9 million when he assumed office.
Sarkozy never really left the French political scene in the 28 months since his defeat. He has made critical comments about his rivals, written opinion pieces, given a few interviews, spoken at conferences around the globe and appeared with global leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Sarkozy’s return was expected after several reports in the French press in recent weeks, and Hollande was asked about it at a press conference yesterday. “Those who have governed the country yesterday and the day before have the right to aspire to govern it tomorrow and the day after,” he said.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls was less diplomatic. “It’s such an organized, prepared, obvious publicity stunt that French people will see right through it,” he told reporters yesterday. “It’s a fake suspense and it could boomerang.”
Supporting Polls
Polls show that Sarkozy would easily defeat Hollande in the second round of a presidential election, though not by as wide a margin as former Prime Minister Alain Juppe, 69, who’s also a contender for the UMP presidency.
Hollande’s popularity is so low -- one recent poll gave him an approval rating of 13 percent -- that Sarkozy’s most likely opponent in the second round would be anti-European Union politician Marine Le Pen. While polls show Sarkozy would beat Le Pen, again Juppe would do so more handily.
Sarkozy’s departure had set off a divisive battle within his UMP party, which today he pledged to heal.
Amid counter accusations of voter fraud, former premier Francois Fillon and party whip Jean-Francois Cope both claimed to have won a November 2012 vote for the party leadership, setting up a standoff that was only solved when a group of UMP elders was given charge of running the party.
Legal Obstacles
“I propose to transform (the party) from top to bottom, in order to create within three months the base of a vast political gathering that speaks to all the French, and goes beyond the traditional divisions that no longer respond to any reality,” Sarkozy said today.
Sarkozy’s return faces legal obstacles. In July, he became the first former French head of state to be held in custody in a case involving allegations that some judges were keeping him informed about the state of play on other probes.
Paris judges are also investigating whether Sarkozy’s campaign got illegal political funding from Libya’s former leader Muammar Qaddafi; over-charging and financial irregularities by his 2012 campaign; and his role in former Finance Minister Christine Lagarde’s decision on an arbitration settlement with French businessman Bernard Tapie.
Sarkozy was cleared of alleged illegal political funding by L’Oreal SA (OR) heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
