Vergennes
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Whoever wins this coming presidential elections,I hope mass witch hunts are organized across the country,even if this violates human dignity,even if people have to be locked up based on suspicion,let it be.
Even if my freedom is restricted,security comes first.
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Terrorism and internal security has became the first theme of this election,even above unemployment and taxes.
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Centre-right leader has adapted to mood of anxiety after terrorist attacks
Nicolas Sarkozy attending mass in tribute to priest Jacques Hamel, who was killed in his church in Saint Etienne du Rouvray © EPA
In 2012, as he vowed to abandon politics following his failed bid for re-election as France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy told voters: “A page has turned for me . . . I hope I can now be left to enjoy a bit of quiet.”
Today, “Sarko”, as the 61-year-old centre-right leader is known, is back on the frontline and fighting. Recent opinion polls see him closing ground on his chief rival, Alain Juppé, in the race to win the Republicans’ presidential nomination in November — a contest likely to produce the next French head of state.
Even just a few months ago, Mr Sarkozy’s chances of returning to the Elysée Palace seemed slim. Four years after leaving office, dogged by various party fundraising scandals, opinion polls suggested he was still widely disliked by French voters. They rated Mr Juppé, a former prime minister, higher on the economy and jobs, traditionally the electorate’s top concerns. Mr Juppé has also been considered better positioned to attract the country’s centrist voters.
But a mood of anxiety following this summer’s terrorist attacks has changed the equation, says Jérôme Fourquet, a pollster at Ifop. People are clamouring for tougher measures to stop the wave of Islamist-inspired assaults that has claimed more than 230 lives in 18 months. Two-thirds have lost confidence in the government’s ability to fight terrorism, according to one recent poll.
“The climate has changed,” says Mr Fourquet.
“Terrorism has become the overriding theme for at least the next few months, and Sarkozy has adapted more quickly to the new reality.”
Hours after two knife-wielding Islamist terrorists burst into a church last week and slit the throat of the local and much-loved priest, Mr Sarkozy slammed a counter-terrorism policy governed by “legal niceties”. He quickly posed a question already on many people’s lips: how was it possible that one of the assailants was not only known to authorities but was also under judicial control and wearing an electronic tag?
Mr Sarkozy told Le Monde newspaper: “This new ordeal shows just how much we have to change the dimension of our response to Islamist terrorism. I cannot accept dealing with today’s realities by applying intellectual schemes from the past.”
Among other things, the former president advocates detaining the roughly 10,000 people authorities have identified as potentially radicalised — even though it would contradict the presumption of innocence. “The priority is ensuring the security of French citizens,” he said.
In a reminder of how politics is so often marked by unfortunate timing, Mr Juppé found himself more than 15,000km away on a tour of Polynesia when the church killing took place.
The two men share many policy proposals, such as tighter regulation of mosques, boosting police numbers and overhauling the intelligence services. But Mr Juppé has insisted on full respect for the rule of law, “which is not a legal nicety”.
Mr Sarkozy’s insistence on extreme measures for extreme times has horrified voters on the left and centre, who say his proposals of preventive detention amount to creating a Guantánamo “à la Française”.
Moreover, Mr Sarkozy still has plenty to do if he is to pull off a victory in November’s primary — he has yet to declare his candidacy formally in the race, but is expected to do so this month.
According to Dominique Moïsi, special adviser to the French Institute of International Relations, Mr Sarkozy has to tread carefully when criticising President François Hollande and the government on the security issue.
“Hollande still retains an element of dignity and that is a problem for Sarkozy,” says Mr Moïsi. “How can you attack a symbol of your country when it is suffering so much?”
Mr Sarkozy also remains a divisive figure. “The stronger he is in his proposals, the more he rallies those behind him and the more he isolates those against him,” Mr Moïsi says. “He is a polarising figure at a time when the French are calling for national unity.”
Critical to November’s primary contest is how many of France’s registered voters ultimately cast their ballot: anyone on the electoral register can vote but they must pay €2 and sign a pledge that states they agree with “the values of the right and of the centre”.
With Mr Hollande’s popularity still languishing and polls suggesting that the far right’s Marine Le Pen may qualify for the second round of next year’s presidential election, Mr Fourquet of Ifop says that leftists and centrists could end up voting to prevent a Le Pen-Sarkozy run-off in 2017.
Mr Juppé retains a 10-point poll lead over Mr Sarkozy, assuming a turnout that extends well beyond the centre-right party faithful. But with three months to go before the vote, and persistent fears of another terrorist attack, it is Mr Sarkozy who has the momentum.
https://next.ft.com/content/181b399e-5a30-11e6-8d05-4eaa66292c32
Even if my freedom is restricted,security comes first.
-
Terrorism and internal security has became the first theme of this election,even above unemployment and taxes.
-
Centre-right leader has adapted to mood of anxiety after terrorist attacks
Nicolas Sarkozy attending mass in tribute to priest Jacques Hamel, who was killed in his church in Saint Etienne du Rouvray © EPA
In 2012, as he vowed to abandon politics following his failed bid for re-election as France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy told voters: “A page has turned for me . . . I hope I can now be left to enjoy a bit of quiet.”
Today, “Sarko”, as the 61-year-old centre-right leader is known, is back on the frontline and fighting. Recent opinion polls see him closing ground on his chief rival, Alain Juppé, in the race to win the Republicans’ presidential nomination in November — a contest likely to produce the next French head of state.
Even just a few months ago, Mr Sarkozy’s chances of returning to the Elysée Palace seemed slim. Four years after leaving office, dogged by various party fundraising scandals, opinion polls suggested he was still widely disliked by French voters. They rated Mr Juppé, a former prime minister, higher on the economy and jobs, traditionally the electorate’s top concerns. Mr Juppé has also been considered better positioned to attract the country’s centrist voters.
But a mood of anxiety following this summer’s terrorist attacks has changed the equation, says Jérôme Fourquet, a pollster at Ifop. People are clamouring for tougher measures to stop the wave of Islamist-inspired assaults that has claimed more than 230 lives in 18 months. Two-thirds have lost confidence in the government’s ability to fight terrorism, according to one recent poll.
“The climate has changed,” says Mr Fourquet.
“Terrorism has become the overriding theme for at least the next few months, and Sarkozy has adapted more quickly to the new reality.”
Hours after two knife-wielding Islamist terrorists burst into a church last week and slit the throat of the local and much-loved priest, Mr Sarkozy slammed a counter-terrorism policy governed by “legal niceties”. He quickly posed a question already on many people’s lips: how was it possible that one of the assailants was not only known to authorities but was also under judicial control and wearing an electronic tag?
Mr Sarkozy told Le Monde newspaper: “This new ordeal shows just how much we have to change the dimension of our response to Islamist terrorism. I cannot accept dealing with today’s realities by applying intellectual schemes from the past.”
Among other things, the former president advocates detaining the roughly 10,000 people authorities have identified as potentially radicalised — even though it would contradict the presumption of innocence. “The priority is ensuring the security of French citizens,” he said.
In a reminder of how politics is so often marked by unfortunate timing, Mr Juppé found himself more than 15,000km away on a tour of Polynesia when the church killing took place.
The two men share many policy proposals, such as tighter regulation of mosques, boosting police numbers and overhauling the intelligence services. But Mr Juppé has insisted on full respect for the rule of law, “which is not a legal nicety”.
Mr Sarkozy’s insistence on extreme measures for extreme times has horrified voters on the left and centre, who say his proposals of preventive detention amount to creating a Guantánamo “à la Française”.
Moreover, Mr Sarkozy still has plenty to do if he is to pull off a victory in November’s primary — he has yet to declare his candidacy formally in the race, but is expected to do so this month.
According to Dominique Moïsi, special adviser to the French Institute of International Relations, Mr Sarkozy has to tread carefully when criticising President François Hollande and the government on the security issue.
“Hollande still retains an element of dignity and that is a problem for Sarkozy,” says Mr Moïsi. “How can you attack a symbol of your country when it is suffering so much?”
Mr Sarkozy also remains a divisive figure. “The stronger he is in his proposals, the more he rallies those behind him and the more he isolates those against him,” Mr Moïsi says. “He is a polarising figure at a time when the French are calling for national unity.”
Critical to November’s primary contest is how many of France’s registered voters ultimately cast their ballot: anyone on the electoral register can vote but they must pay €2 and sign a pledge that states they agree with “the values of the right and of the centre”.
With Mr Hollande’s popularity still languishing and polls suggesting that the far right’s Marine Le Pen may qualify for the second round of next year’s presidential election, Mr Fourquet of Ifop says that leftists and centrists could end up voting to prevent a Le Pen-Sarkozy run-off in 2017.
Mr Juppé retains a 10-point poll lead over Mr Sarkozy, assuming a turnout that extends well beyond the centre-right party faithful. But with three months to go before the vote, and persistent fears of another terrorist attack, it is Mr Sarkozy who has the momentum.
https://next.ft.com/content/181b399e-5a30-11e6-8d05-4eaa66292c32
