“Vive la République! Vive la France !” concluded Segolene Royal, candidate for the PS (Partie Socialiste), after having moved on to the second round of the French presidential elections on April 22^nd. Segolene Royal gained 26% of the popular vote, topping ten other candidates keep her (stylish) hat in the race. She is now in a face-off with right-wing favorite Nicolas Sarkozy, who received 31% of the votes.

With a tight election coming down the stretch, the French are holding their collective breath in anticipation (with cigarette breaks of course). Despite Royal’s underdog reputation, polls indicate a near even split: only two points separate the candidates, with Mr. Sarkozy holding a slight 51% advantage. However, the two candidates have very different solutions to France’s social and economic problems, and these two percentage points could take France in two polar-opposite directions.

The Candidates

Segolene Royal, a 53-year-old babe, aligns her platform along Socialist Party ideals. She wants to keep the 35-hour workweek and raise the Smic (the French equivalent of minimum wage) to 1,500 euros a month. She calls for a revision of education and an increase in use of nuclear energy. Possibly her grandest proposal is her call for institutional referendum, creating the Sixth Republic (France is in its Fifth). She hopes to make the government more open, accessible and efficient.

Nicolas Sarkozy takes a more capitalistic (or as the French say, “liberal”) approach to politics. He is the leader of Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (or Union for a Popular Movement), the right wing of the French political spectrum. Sarkozy’s main goal is stimulating economic growth. To do so, he proposes exonerating social costs of supplementary hours—the penalty imposed on an employer whose workers tally more than 35 hours a week. Additionally, Sarkozy seeks to create a 50% fiscal surplus. On the social side of politics, Sarkozy wants to create a new post for a Minister of Immigration and National Identity and to try 16 to 18-year-olds as majors, the equivalent of adults, in court.

Most analysts and citizens alike think Sarkozy will become the next president. However, he has an image issue. Standing at around 5’5’’ (or the metric equivalent), the French see him as a Napoleon wannabe. His opponents accuse Sarkozy of being ambitious, selfish, and inattentive to the best interests of France. They fear he will put his pals into government positions and manipulate the organs of French government. Finally, many question his campaign promises, denouncing Sarkozy as unable to keep many of his proposals as Minister of the Interior.

Segolene, on the other hand, faces the problems that women often do when vying for a high political position. France has traditionally lagged far behind nearly every Western country in the political power and rights afforded to women. Unfortunately, this casts a shadow on Royal’s campaign. Royal is often referred to as “too tough,” the implication being that she is too tough for a woman. At the same time, some have expressed annoyance that she is popular simply because she is a woman. Segolene Royal, just like many women in high politics, has to find a balance between dealing with societal expectations of a woman to be passive, while also appearing strong enough to be the leader of a state. However, most have already decided that she will lose.

The French Experience

I have the wonderful opportunity to be in France during the presidential elections. Here, democracy is at its best. The French have an incredibly politicized culture and take themselves very seriously. Since the conclusion of first round of the elections, I have heard nothing but political buzz. More than once in a café I have seen someone from the next table eavesdrop and passionately join an overheard conversation. The election is everywhere, from nightclub lines to subways. However, this political passion does not come without a price: the rallies, are mini-revolutions where the French eagerly climb stadium fences and the police officers smoking on the side.

But is this heightened atmosphere the norm for French elections? It seems to me that these elections are particularly important to the French. As the era of Jacques Chirac ends, France faces problems of the 21st century, such as immigration and terrorism. Luckily for France, it has not suffered the fate of London and New York—yet. Nevertheless, its immigrant population has made it abundantly clear that problems exist (remember last year’s unrest in the immigrant dominated suburbs?). Meanwhile, there have been a number of bomb threats in Paris.

These issues have risen to the forefront of the election discourse. Sarkozy and Royal have each strengthened their positions on immigration. Sarkozy wants to limit immigration, or as a supporter said, “He wants to make sure that random people don’t enter France.” Royal wants to work with its immigrant population to raise their standard of living, “to include everyone.”

The second and final round of the French presidential election will take place on May 6. That day, France will get a new face. Personally, I think Segolene’s is prettier.