Unite and Conquer
// The price of the question
French President Sarkozy will win doubly if he receives a majority in parliament. Whether or not that happens will be seen after the two-stage elections on June 10 and 17. Surveys are promising the right a victory in its duel with the left with about a 56:44 margin. Sarkozy has to be given credit. He has been working for that victory his the moment of his election. That is not hard to show. Just look at his actions and those of his team.
Of course, support from the right is not enough to carry through the planned reforms. That will require a bond between the president and a national majority government that includes the center and even the left. Francois Fillon is becoming prime minister. He, of course, is from the president's close circle, but he has an invaluable quality in this situation: he knows how to reach agreement. That is important when the government is faced with the risk of resistance to its reforms. Surveys have confirmed the correctness of the president's choice. Two out of three Frenchmen support Fillon's appointment. The first thing he did after his appointment was to meet with labor unions, that is, with the ones who, in France, can block anything. He told them, “We are open to dialog.” Considering that Sarkozy's include reform of labor law, that dialog is obviously essential. The first thing the president promised the parliament was to discuss the most radical of his proposed reforms with them. Thus, step by step an atmosphere of social dialog, or at least the hope for such a dialog, is being created.
Finally, Sarkozy has formed a government in which 7 out of 15 members are women. He is thus showing that Segolene Royal lost, but not women. Rachida Dati, a member of his campaign staff whose parents are immigrants from North Africa, has become minister of justice. It is the first time that a woman of her background has held such a high post in France. It is a signal to the part of French society that is least likely to find sympathy for the new president. He killed two birds with one stone with the appointment of Kouchner. He brought in a Socialist as foreign minister and showed that not only is he not afraid to do it, but that he welcomes people with differing views in his government. At the same time, he sowed the seeds of discord among the left, which everywhere in the world loves labels and showdowns. Leftist leaders scolded Kouchner, who is respected in France and around the world for his deeds and convictions, and nearly called him a traitor.
The French parliament is traditionally a playing field for the right and left. There is little doubt that the right will set the tone this time. Centrist Francois Bayrou is unlikely to have much swing in the game. He is expected to receive a few less than the 20 seats needed to form a coalition.
Natalia Gevorkyan, Kommersant special correspondent in Paris 2000-2006
All the Article in Russian as of May 22, 2007
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