The Socialist to run for French Presidency will be a She

A year ago, she was seen as a creation of the media. As a member of the Socialist Party, Ségolène Royal has been in the French political landscape for decades, but she never held first-line positions. Her most recent function within the French government was between 2000 and 2002, when she was appointed Vice-Minister of Family and Childhood. Since then, she became President of the Poitou-Charentes region, and a member of the French National Assembly. Very, very few thought she could be the President of the French Republic, until On 22 September, 2005, the popular Paris Match magazine published an interview in which she declared that she was considering running for the presidency in 2007.

On April 7, 2006, "Ségolène" launched her electoral blog Désirs d’avenir ("Wishes of future"), and published the first 10 chapters of her political manifesto. Weeks after weeks, polls kept allowing Royal a larger majority of voting intentions and demonstrated a lot of sympathy from the Socialist Party supporters. Obviously, the once media-bubble forged herself as a serious potential candidate.

Two other male candidates forced her to go through primaries, Dominique Strauss-Khan and Laurent Fabius. During a full month, they had three televised debates, as much media-forbidden debates, and a number of meetings in local towns. Despite all efforts by the two opponents, Ségolène was finally awared on Thursday with 60,62 % of the votes. 20,83 % went to the economics-specialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn and 18,54 % to Laurent Fabius, an opponent to the European Constitution.

A new page for France history

The fact that Ségolène Royal is a woman should not be minored since it is the first time in the French political history that one of the two major parties have a woman representing them for the major election. However, the choice of Madame Royal reveals a desire for change in the Left Party policy.

Ségolène Royal is not a traditional left party candidate. She is seen as one of the most progressive members and calls for reforms on school, security, labour law, or democracy, most of which have been very controversial. When French were used to a highly conservative left party on economics issues, Royal stresses the need to soften the rules and encourage entrepreneurship. In a country where teachers work 18 hours a week, she asks the educational stuff to stay in school 35 hours a week. Where the governement and Parliement have full control over the legilslature, she claims there should be "popular juries" monitoring the elected work.

In a France that has not yet divorced with its extreme-left parties, Ségolène Royal is closer to the ideas and methods of Great Britain’s PM Tony Blair.

In the next 6 months, Madame Royal will have to debate with the current Minister of Interior Affairs, Nicolas Sarkozy, who should be appointed candidate for the right party (UMP) in January. The man is very popular and a talented debater, but his obsessive emphasis on security and his admiration for the American policy may fail him on the finish line.

There is still, however, the threat of a "third man". Extreme-right Front National’s Jean-Marie Le Pen is hoping to renew the 2002 scenario, where he was present to the second turn with Jacques Chirac. The Center Party candidate, François Bayrou, may also be the third man. He has done a lot of groundwork on a local base and campaigned heavily on the Internet. Bayrou is still out of the media first-line, but he keeps having increasing popular polls. If there is a surprise for 2007, it may come from him.