French Presidential Elections: Reactions to Sarkozy's Candidacy

Shortly after French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed his candidacy, many political figures – particularly the other candidates – reacted to his decision.

François Bayrou, the MoDem candidate did not seem to appreciate the fact that Nicolas Sarkozy used the same words, phrases and examples heard in recent months in his speech. He would have preferred, he added, "that the presidential candidate had mentioned the problem of a France that is no longer able to produce."

Eva Joly, the Green Party candidate, said she considered Sarkozy's performance to be "a huge void." Adding that, in her opinion, the head of state was showing a denial "of the record of his term and especially of his policies that have destroyed employment." In particular, she criticized the proposed referendum on training for the unemployed.

Marine Le Pen, the National Front candidate, said she believed that Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement of candidacy was of no political interest and that his campaign would be "a pale copy of that of 2007." Going further, Ms. Le Pen added that "Mr. Sarkozy must leave the field and let in a bold, enthusiastic, courageous and clear-sighted team, ours!"

The Left Front candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, judged that the main adversary of the left had just entered the scene. To support his point, he expressed that Mr. Sarkozy "... claims to give the people a voice, but he refuses them on the main current issue in France, Europe and the world, which is the next European treaty."

François Hollande, for his part, reacted to the announcement of Nicolas Sarkozy's candidacy by stating, with a touch of irony, that "the president-candidate has become candidate-president... Barely elected, he was already campaigning, and barely in, he was already out...".