The first round of the French presidential elections will take place on 22 April, and up to now, all opinion polls are indicating that the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, will be France's new president. Hollande has a large lead over the candidate of the Gaullist party (the Union for a Popular Movement), the current president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who is seeking a second five-year term. The verbal battles between the leading candidates are a bit tedious. At every campaign appearance, Sarkozy unveils new measures for education and the labor law, in a bid to shore up his popularity. Hollande is attracting support from the masses by declaring his intention to impose tax rates of 75 percent on the wealthy, with annual incomes of 1 million euros, and on big companies. Hollande also wants to cut the nuclear component of France's energy production in half by 2025, which pleases environmental groups, but could lead to a rise in the cost of electricity. In fact, French voters do not place much stock in such promises by candidates, because they know that everything changes after a candidate becomes president. But it is clear that a large number of voters are rejecting Sarkozy's personality. His government has turned in a good performance when it comes to reforms in the retirement law and in French universities, and in the international arena, in Libya, the Georgia crisis and especially Europe's financial crisis. However, Sarkozy is not loved by the French people, due to his irritable nature, and his adolescent-type appearances at the beginning of his term, when he seemed to be enamored with the lifestyle of the rich and famous – everything from yachting to discussing the details of his earlier marriage to his wife Cecilia, who left him after he was elected. This was followed by his courtship with his current wife, the beautiful model Carla Bruni. This alienated the French people from their president; in addition, his term has witnessed the financial crisis sweeping Europe, which has led to a deterioration in the economic situation. Unemployment now affects three million people, while there is inflation and a decline in purchasing power for the French. To be fair, Sarkozy was not responsible for the crisis that swept France and Europe, but it represents another factor in the rejection by French voters of their president. Meanwhile, Hollande is wagering on everything that distances the French from their current president, trying to appear calm and comfortable during his campaign. He is trying to match the temperament of the French, who do not like the wealthy, or the trappings of wealth. Although Hollande is frightening wealthy French people, who have begun to move their money elsewhere, he is attracting some of those who do not like Sarkozy's personality. Unlike Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign, the president is committing huge mistakes this time around, and is unable to change his public image. Sarkozy fell into the trap of Socialist protestors who confronted him in the city of Bayonne, along with Basque separatists, as he become angry at their behavior. This was natural, but it once again showed him to be someone who easily becomes agitated, reminding the French of this side of his personality. Moreover, the "content" of his campaign is suffering, since he is trying to attract voters from the extreme right, who vote for Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, who is scaring French voters by using the specter of foreigners and Islam. She says that all of the meat in France is slaughtered according to halal practices, based on Islamic law. If elected, Le Pen says she will abandon the euro and withdraw from the European Union, while Sarkozy is focusing on a more hardline immigration policy. Sarkozy's interior minister, Claude Gueant, says he rejects the participation of foreigners in regional assembly elections, since it will lead to the imposition of halal meat in the country's schools. Certainly, these arguments are aimed at attracting supporters of Le Pen, who is estimated to enjoy 14 percent support according to opinion polls. But Sarkozy's attempt to woo these voters is not productive. This time, his campaign will not produce the results that he wishes – first of all, because he is the outgoing president, and second, despite his dynamic nature, he does not come off as presidential. And while Hollande lacks charisma, his image could change when he becomes president, because this post brings with it a special aura. In addition, the French people want change, after 17 years of right-wing presidents, from Jacques Chirac to Sarkozy. Another important aspect of the quality of campaigns of Hollande and Sarkozy is that the former's lead in the polls is boosting his self-confidence and calm, while the latter is becoming more anxious, agitated and confused about what he should do to make up ground. It is likely that the race has decided in Hollande's favor, even though less than two months remain for a surprise to appear – but this appears unlikely.
