PARIS – French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen told his millions of supporters yesterday to abstain in this weekend’s presidential vote, saying neither Segolene Royal nor Nicolas Sarkozy were worthy of the post.
“Both of them are official representatives of parties and policies that for the past 30 years have brought France to the brink of a political, economic, social, cultural and moral abyss,” he told cheering supporters in Paris. The National Front leader, who stunned France in 2002 when he made it to the run-off presidential ballot against Jacques Chirac, urged his voters to ‘save their votes’ for parliamentary elections in June.Some 3,8 million people voted in this year’s first round for the 78-year-old anti-immigrant leader, who made his speech yesterday in front of the Paris opera house after his party’s traditional May 1 parade.Le Pen lost many voters to Sarkozy, the rightwinger who has consistently led in the opinion polls since campaigning began.Le Pen accused Sarkozy during the campaign of stealing his thunder with his tough stance on immigration and law and order, and Sarkozy’s left-wing critics likewise accused him of pandering to the extreme right.The majority of Le Pen voters – 61 per cent according to a poll published yesterday – were seen as likely to plump for Sarkozy.The Ipsos/Dell poll said 15 per cent would pick the socialist Royal.The presidential rivals were meanwhile continuing their battle for support from the 6,8 million voters who chose the centrist Francois Bayrou in the April 22 first round.Bayrou has denounced Sarkozy and has been making overtures to Royal, a Socialist former environment minister.Yesterday’s Ipsos opinion poll said 41 per cent of voters who picked Bayrou in the first round will choose Royal on Sunday, while 32 per cent will go for Sarkozy.The high point of the election campaign comes today, when Sarkozy and Royal, who wants to be France’s first woman president, face each other for a two-hour televised debate expected to attract 20 million viewers.Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, has pushed a right-wing programme based on the themes of work and national identity.His tough talk has sparked fears he would divide rather than unite the nation.Royal, an army officer’s daughter, has presented herself as a nurturing mother figure and has proposed a leftist economic programme that would keep France’s generous welfare system intact.Both candidates come from a new generation of leaders born after World War II, and both claim to represent a break from a discredited past.Nampa-AFPThe National Front leader, who stunned France in 2002 when he made it to the run-off presidential ballot against Jacques Chirac, urged his voters to ‘save their votes’ for parliamentary elections in June.Some 3,8 million people voted in this year’s first round for the 78-year-old anti-immigrant leader, who made his speech yesterday in front of the Paris opera house after his party’s traditional May 1 parade.Le Pen lost many voters to Sarkozy, the rightwinger who has consistently led in the opinion polls since campaigning began.Le Pen accused Sarkozy during the campaign of stealing his thunder with his tough stance on immigration and law and order, and Sarkozy’s left-wing critics likewise accused him of pandering to the extreme right.The majority of Le Pen voters – 61 per cent according to a poll published yesterday – were seen as likely to plump for Sarkozy.The Ipsos/Dell poll said 15 per cent would pick the socialist Royal.The presidential rivals were meanwhile continuing their battle for support from the 6,8 million voters who chose the centrist Francois Bayrou in the April 22 first round.Bayrou has denounced Sarkozy and has been making overtures to Royal, a Socialist former environment minister.Yesterday’s Ipsos opinion poll said 41 per cent of voters who picked Bayrou in the first round will choose Royal on Sunday, while 32 per cent will go for Sarkozy.The high point of the election campaign comes today, when Sarkozy and Royal, who wants to be France’s first woman president, face each other for a two-hour televised debate expected to attract 20 million viewers.Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, has pushed a right-wing programme based on the themes of work and national identity.His tough talk has sparked fears he would divide rather than unite the nation.Royal, an army officer’s daughter, has presented herself as a nurturing mother figure and has proposed a leftist economic programme that would keep France’s generous welfare system intact.Both candidates come from a new generation of leaders born after World War II, and both claim to represent a break from a discredited past.Nampa-AFP
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