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The 2007 French presidential election will herald the first contest since France's rejection of the European constitution in May 2005. It is assumed that the first round of voting will take place on Sunday, April 22, 2007, with a second round (if necessary, which usually is the case) on Sunday, May 6, 2007. Possible candidacies It has been rumoured that President Jacques Chirac considered running for a third term. However, such a hypothesis seems increasingly remote, due to a series of political and personal setbacks to Chirac: an unpopular administration; the defeat of the proposed European Constitution, strongly supported by Chirac, in a referendum; a 2005 health incident underlining Chirac's age; and, finally, the higher popularity of other right-wing candidates. The defeat of the proposed European Constitution unleashed the latent tensions and rivalries within the French Socialist Party. As of June 2006, a large variety of members of that party had expressed some interest in running for president; however, Ségolène Royal has a significant edge over other candidates in polls. The Socialist Party will decide which of the candidates the party will support in the autumn of 2006. Many observers also felt that the stage may have been set for a battle within the governing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), with UMP president and new Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy being the leading contender to lead the centre-right parties into the 2007 election, contested however by the new Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin. However, during the Spring of 2006, Dominique de Villepin decided to rush through Parliament a controversial law establishing the "First Employment Contract", a new kind of work contract, which resulted in massive demonstrations; approval rates for Villepin plumetted, and in June 2006 serious doubts about his credibility were expressed by many members of Parliament of his own party. As a consequence, it is, as of June 2006, generally expected that Dominique de Villepin cannot be a serious contender and that Nicolas Sarkozy will be the only major candidate from UMP (though Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Christine Boutin might decide to run). The centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), a longtime ally of the UMP, has now embarked on a course of more marked independence, though there still are considerable debates within that party about that policy. President of UDF François Bayrou will most probably run in 2006 on a platform rejecting the de facto two-party system, as well as what he perceives as lack of democracy and partisan politics in France. There exist a number of political parties to the left of the Socialist Party, most notably the French Communist Party (PCF), the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), and Workers' Struggle (LO). Each has a probable candidate, respectively Marie-George Buffet, Olivier Besancenot and Arlette Laguiller; in addition, José Bové considers running on a altermondialist platform. As of June 2006, there are discussions about a possible common candidacy among some of these, but no agreement has so far been reached. Jean-Marie Le Pen will most probably run for the National Front, a far-right party which promotes policies of strong law enforcement and strong measures to control immigration. Any candidate will need to obtain at least 500 endorsements by elected officials to be put on the ballot. Issues facing France in the 2007 presidential election The election raises a number of issues: Politicians who may pursue a candidacy for the 2007 presidential election Note: the classification of parties in far left/left/right/far right reflects the usual classification by the French media and may disagree with the opinions of some. It is not yet known who among these politicians will still intend to run later on, nor is it known which of these will fit the legal requirements, especially the 500 endorsements by elected officials. National Right / Far Right Right Center Left Far Left | |||||||
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