Sarkozy allies mull risky entente with far right
Faced with the likelihood of losing its majority in next month’s parliamentary elections, France’s centre-right UMP is being forced to do some soul-searching. Still stinging from defeat in Sunday’s presidential poll, many UMP lawmakers will likely have to make a difficult choice between honouring the established tradition of blocking the far-right in elections and the threat of losing their seats in parliament.
France’s political left is brimming with enthusiasm after Socialist Party candidate François Hollande won the May 6 presidential runoff against incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in a tight and bitter race. Opinion surveys say Socialists should also easily win back control of parliament’s lower-house National Assembly next month. According to a voter intention survey this week by French polling firm BVA, the Socialist Party and its allies on the left are on pace to win 46% of ballots on June 10. That score compared to 33% support for UMP candidates and 17% for the surging far-right National Front party, BVA said.
Sarkozy, who plans to quit politics when he steps down on May 15, took a risk by adopting the far-right’s hardline rhetoric on EU borders, security and immigration during his campaign. While he failed to pick up enough far-right voters to win re-election, he managed to scare off centrist leader François Bayrou and other moderates.
That has left UMP members with little room to block a left-wing takeover of parliament –other than turning to the National Front.
http://www.france24.com/en/20120510-sarkozy-ump-socialist-parliament-elections-agreement-far-right-cope-le-pen
