EUROPEUS

Nicolas Sarkozy won and he won 54% of the record 85% electoral turnout, which means that it was not only the conservative right that voted for him, but also the conservative socialists and perhaps even the conservative left. Was it Ms. Royal that scared them? I don’t think so, it is most likely that the French voters realized that they were both leading the same way in the era of globalization, both had been skeptical for the financial situation in France of the 21st century and both could not stop the fear toward immigration and security - the difference was that Sarkozy looked more confident.

There is another thing we often miss, the trust and faith the French people have to the French republic. It doesn’t matter how extreme Sarkozy’s words often came to the public and it doesn’t matter how scary he really is, the French democracy as an institution has its own valve that would react if there was any real danger. Perhaps the very same republic will bring the same balance just like they did a decade before forcing the conservative president to cohabit with a socialist government. Don’t forget, June is not far away and June for France means parliamentary elections.

Ms. Royal, and this is my opinion, despite the force of the socialist voters who voted the socialist program and ideas, promoted herself as the anti-Sarkozy and that’s what most likely scared the undecided. They lived that a few years ago when they were forced to vote Chirac just because the alternative was Le Pen. Suddenly, even the communists did the unbelievable, to celebrate Chirac’s second term in the presidential palace.

For the biggest part Ms. Royal tried to show in many ways that Mr. Sarkozy was the other face of Le Pen but in her final attempt, the televised debate and especially with her nerves she only managed to show that Nicolas was a modern European conservative, the European was intentional since the French majority feel more pro-European than any other European nation. Furthermore, the very same middle class had the example of Angela Merkel.

If anybody remembers Ms. Merkel before becoming the German chancellor, she was described as the black knight, the fear of the immigrants and the nemesis of the human rights. A year after nothing happened, on the contrary the German people seem to enjoy stability they had long missed and the German chancellor seems to behave under the pressure of her partners, the social democrats - this brings us back to the possibility of a conservative president and socialist government.

With all the above I’m not trying to exonerate Nicolas Sarkozy of his policies, his extreme conservatism and his often dangerous balance between extreme right and American style globalism, he is guilty and under different circumstances or better in a different nation he would be extremely dangerous, I just have faith in the French republic and its mechanisms. Of course Nicolas will try, after all he won’t be the first neither the last, Chirac tried as well despite his effort to hide behind others and in many senses he lost.

His ideas on unemployment and immigration are scary but we tent to forget that he was not the first to express ideas like that, actually before elected as Chancellor, Angela Merkel was more radical. Most likely he will force some of them but a strong socialist parliament can make the difference and furthermore strong and united unionism has ways to hold him and five years is not that long.

For the next few weeks obviously the socialist party will go through the usual bitterness that will gradually take pace on the face of Ms. Royal, let’s hope that this will not last long and the socialist party will move to the parliamentary elections turning the bitterness into a victorious force.

I think the one who really defeated last weekend was Mr. Bayrou and his effect to pass himself and his movement as the alternative solution in France politics. The man lost something more valuable than Ms. Royal: he lost his credibility. For fifteen days he secretly negotiated the votes of the people who were seeking for something alternative flirting often with Ms. Royal but pointing to Mr. Sarkozy. In the end of the day he literally proved that he’s nothing more than an opportunist aiming for a day in the flashlight of the television cameras.

Thanos Kalamidas is cofounder of Ovi Magazine

With Ovi Magazine