InfoAnda - Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

World health leaders urge vigilance in flu fight | 21 April 2010
EU has Azerbaijan 'support' for gas pipeline project | 14 January 2011
Two killed in suicide bomb attack near Kabul NATO base | | 21 November 2012

Samsung on track to become top home appliances maker | | 8 January 2013

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article Images of March Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Ted Nugent says Secret Service to quiz him about Obama remarks 18 Apr 2012 JetBlue pilot who had midair meltdown to plead insanity-filing 18 Apr 2012 Obama vs. Romney: Close, nasty and unpredictable 18 Apr 2012 India tests long-range missile; capable of reaching China | 2:29am EDT Human-made earthquakes reported in central U.S 17 Apr 2012 Discussed 169 Trayvon Martin’s killer showed signs of injury: neighbors 139 Obama paid 20.5 pct tax rate in 2011: White House 106 North Korea launches rocket amid international condemnation Watched Hair regeneration study, a boost for the bald Wed, Apr 18 2012 Panetta condemns latest photos of U.S. soldiers posing with dead Afghan insurgents Wed, Apr 18 2012 Bill Gates to become comic book hero Tue, Apr 17 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption The Olympians Athletes around the world train for the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. Slideshow Facing eviction Spanish families face eviction after being unable to pay their mortgages. Slideshow Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes Tweet Share this Email Print Related News French centrist Bayrou cagey as Sarkozy woos him Wed, Apr 18 2012 France's Sarkozy defiant on ECB role as vote looms Tue, Apr 17 2012 Sarkozy not seeking ECB mandate change, aides Mon, Apr 16 2012 France's Sarkozy, Hollande face off week before vote Sun, Apr 15 2012 Sarkozy, Hollande to do battle in Paris squares Sat, Apr 14 2012 Analysis & Opinion Make no entangling foreign frenemies Euro zone looks to Washington Related Topics World » France Election » By Paul Taylor and Emmanuel Jarry PARIS | Thu Apr 19, 2012 4:06am EDT PARIS (Reuters) - Behind on points, conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy's last best hopes of re-election are landing a knockout punch in the sole television debate or an eleventh-hour alliance with a popular centrist. No president in French history has come back to win after trailing as far behind his opponent in the opinion polls as Sarkozy does now to Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, political scientist Dominique Reynie said. But veteran analysts are not writing him off just yet. "It's hard to see what could reverse the trend, but there are a few elements," said Pascal Perrineau, director of the Centre for the Study of French Political Life (CEVIPOF) at the Sciences-Po school in Paris, citing lingering doubts among voters about whether Hollande has the stature and the national security credentials to be president. Surveys show the conservative head of state is battling deep personal unpopularity on top of the handicaps of incumbency in an economic crisis that has seen off the leaders of 14 of the European Union's 27 countries in the last three years. "This is at least as much a referendum on Nicolas Sarkozy as a vote in confidence in Francois Hollande," said Reynie, director of the Foundation for Political Innovation. Yet Sarkozy is a formidable debater, and he is convinced that once he and Hollande are alone in the ring, he will be able to expose his rival's lack of government experience and fiscal credibility in a live clash a few days before the May 6 runoff. "I'm so excited about the surprise you're going to get. You can't imagine," Sarkozy taunted reporters on a visit to Britanny on Tuesday when asked if he still believed he could win. SURPRISES Among possible surprises he could spring in the final days are diplomatic initiatives on the Middle East, Africa or Europe, a move to cut petrol prices, a big order for a French industrial champion, or saving more factories from closure. France is hosting an international foreign ministers' conference on the conflict in Syria on Thursday, featuring U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He got the day off to an early start with calls for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to protect the Syrian opposition. A fuel initiative seems possible after ministers confirmed that France has held talks with the United States and Britain on a possible coordinated release of strategic oil reserves to counter speculation due to tensions over Iran. But prices have already begun to fall, making that less likely. A major contract for Airbus aircraft, made by French-based EADS, or for Dassault Aviation's Rafale fighters would be a timely feather in Sarkozy's cap, but it is not clear that it would sway many voters. India and the United Arab Emirates are both negotiating on the possible purchase of the Rafale, which France has never managed to export, despite years of intense diplomatic efforts. A reignition of the euro zone debt crisis, already smoldering in Spain, could help Sarkozy convince voters to stick with an experienced leader rather than risking the untried Hollande. It might also give rise to a last-minute summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, his closest European partner, who has kept her distance since throwing her support behind Sarkozy just before he launched his campaign in mid-February. But it could also undermine the president's assurances that the worst of the crisis is over and that he and Merkel have "saved the euro". And officials in Sarkozy's UMP party say Merkel is no guaranteed vote-winner in France. In politics, events can always intervene, as they did when an Islamist gunman shot dead seven people in the Toulouse region last month. That put Sarkozy in the limelight as a hands-on leader in charge of the hunt for the killer, and a consoling head of state embodying national unity at memorial ceremonies. But attempts to build on the resulting uplift in opinion polls by staging highly publicized dawn raids on suspected Islamist militants and banning radical preachers from travelling to France failed to boost his score. The opinion poll curves have crossed again, with most showing Hollande in front in the first round and widening his lead for the runoff. KEY HEADACHE The president's key political headache is that to clinch victory, he would need to win over first-round voters for both the far-right, Euroskeptical anti-immigration crusader Marine Le Pen and pro-European centrist Francois Bayrou. That means doing the ideological splits. Sarkozy has vowed to halve new immigration and battle Europe over border controls in a bid for the National Front leader's voters. Sarkozy and Le Pen have both ruled out any deal, but he is now trying hard to woo Bayrou. Some allies are urging him to offer the centrist the premiership and campaign together with him on a platform of fiscal responsibility. "A ticket with Bayrou is his last chance, but it may be too late," said one lawmaker in the ruling UMP party, who asked not to be named. Another disaffected former UMP politician who has drifted away from the president said Sarkozy had gambled on striking a right-wing posture and playing on fears of Islam and immigrants, but he had misunderstood the public's main concerns. Other voices inside Sarkozy's campaign team and outside are urging him to keep to the right because Le Pen will get more votes than Bayrou, almost half of whose supporters are leaning towards Hollande, according to opinion surveys. "If he wants to win, the big battalions are with Le Pen, so he'll have to go after them, even though he'll need Bayrou as well," said Jean-Thomas Lesueur, head of the right-leaning Paris-based Institut Thomas More think-tank. "What could make him bounce back, if he's still able to bounce back, is if he manages to show that he has a right-wing dynamic behind him," Lesueur said. To that end, Sarkozy has been milking public resentment of Europe by calling for the European Central Bank to do more to boost growth and picking fights with the European Commission on immigration control and trade barriers. KNOCKOUT NEEDED Polling data shows the combined left and far left vote on the first round may total up to 46-47 percent, meaning Hollande may need only a third of Bayrou's vote and a small number of Le Pen voters to put him over the top. But the president is banking on the race starting almost from scratch in the second round, especially if he can come out even marginally ahead of Hollande on the first ballot. Sarkozy believes he can then mobilize a "silent majority" including abstentionists, the young, women, the "white working class" and retirees in the runoff. "There is a slight uncertainty because on the night of the first round, it will no longer be a 10-person campaign but a two-man race for the Elysee Palace," Perrineau said. "That doesn't transform the game, but there will be a slight change, and Sarkozy's image is not as catastrophic as people say." The only TV debate considered to have swung a tight French election was in 1974, when centre-right Valery Giscard d'Estaing bested Socialist Francois Mitterrand, only to be beaten by him seven years later. Hollande has avoided errors so far on television, coming across as calm, smiling, sometimes witty but bland, while Sarkozy has been incisive but at times irritable and aggressive in recent appearances. "You can't rule out Nicolas Sarkozy until Nicolas Sarkozy rules himself out. Until he concedes, he's fighting," said Nicholas Dungan, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, who has close ties with France. But while Hollande only needs a draw, the president needs to put the challenger on the canvas. (Additional reporting by Catherine Bremer, Yann Le Guernigou and Tim Hepher; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Will Waterman) World France Election Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 19 April 2012
NATO says concrete plans emerging for Afghanistan after 2014 |
Exclusive: Bolivia says may de-flag Iranian ships |
Russia admits irregularities in regional vote after protests |
Netanyahu defends comparison of Iran, Nazi Holocaust |
U.S. warns of Boko Haram attacks on Nigeria capital |
Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections |
Peru rebel leader mocks Humala's army after ambush |
Apple wants trial on e-book price-fixing: lawyer |
Social media is gold for Olympics advertisers |
Analysis: Apple results loom large for tech
Nokia's elusive recovery rekindles strategy doubts |
Veteran television personality Dick Clark dead at 82 |
Lionel Richie ousts Minaj for Billboard top spot |
ABC sued over alleged racial bias on The Bachelor |
Syria yet to send clear signal on peace: U.N. chief |
India tests long-range missile; capable of reaching China |
At least 24 killed in series of blasts in Iraq |
Japan near to announcing Myanmar loans restart: source |
Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton |
Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes |
EU states agree in principle to suspend Myanmar sanctions: diplomats |
Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits |
Yemeni army kills seven Islamists in south |
Analysis: Apple results loom large for tech
Sony set to win EU approval for EMI deal: FT |
HP to build printer factory in China: report |
Nokia under pressure to show turnaround plan |
Social media is gold for Olympics advertisers |
Veteran television personality Dick Clark dead at 82 |
Tribeca opens with comedy The Five-Year Engagement |
Two black men accuse ABC of racial bias over 'The Bachelor' |
Diddy beats Jay-Z, as Forbes' richest hip hop artist |
Norwegian killer says planned far larger attacks |
Bashir says Sudan to teach South final lesson by force |
Afghan government, Taliban condemn photos of U.S. troops with Afghan bodies |
Bosnia opens trial of Muslims for war crimes |
Exclusive: France would not support oil release under Hollande |
Turkey arrests more officers over 1997 coup |
Lawmakers press UK government over China murder scandal |
Sun journalist held ahead of showdown for Murdochs |
Apple, Google, Intel fail to dismiss staff-poaching lawsuit |
Verizon Wireless data revenue growth impresses |
Nokia executive quits as phone sales plummet |
New York state sues Sprint for more than $300 million over taxes |
Pitt, Kidman films to premiere at Cannes in 2012 |
Protesters detained at Russian punk group hearing |
Sony-led group wins EU approval to buy EMI publishing |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01