'Sarkozy Has Lost the Heart of France'

[xchrom]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,788608,00.html

For more than half a century, the French Senate has been dominated by conservatives. That reign, though, has now come to an end. On Sunday, control of the body, which serves as France's upper house of parliament, was handed to the Socialists for the first time since 1958, an election result which reflects widespread discontent with President Nicolas Sarkozy and his conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

Some 177 of the 348 Senate seats were up for vote on Sunday. The body is elected by 150,000 officials from throughout France.

Sarkozy's popularity has been sinking steadily amid economic uncertainty sparked by unemployment, slow growth and a huge budget deficit -- not to mention an ongoing corruption scandal recently linked to some of his aides. Though the UMP still maintains an edge in the National Assembly, the embarrassing loss of support in the upper house not only threatens the progress of Sarkozy's 2012 budget bill and a plan to insert a debt brake into the French constitution, but also casts doubt on his chances for re-election in presidential elections next spring.

"This clearly weakens Sarkozy. He was working to try and win back public opinion and this has undermined any progress there. It will handicap him," analyst Francois Miquet-Marty at Viavoice pollsters told news agency Reuters. "It raises doubts over whether he should even be the UMP's candidate next year."

[Demeter]

1. Vive la France!

[xchrom]

2. +1