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| Sarkozy pursues Le Pen supporters as Socialists woo poor and disillusioned | Sarkozy pursues Le Pen supporters as Socialists woo poor and disillusioned |
| (less than a minute earlier) | |
| In the high-rise housing estate at La Verrière, a dozen young and not-so-young men are kicking their heels and looking bored outside a takeaway. | In the high-rise housing estate at La Verrière, a dozen young and not-so-young men are kicking their heels and looking bored outside a takeaway. |
| "This place has a bad reputation," says Benoît Hamon, spokesman for the Socialist party. "It's had problems with delinquency and drugs, but its reputation isn't justified. The people are lovely and very welcoming. You'll see." | "This place has a bad reputation," says Benoît Hamon, spokesman for the Socialist party. "It's had problems with delinquency and drugs, but its reputation isn't justified. The people are lovely and very welcoming. You'll see." |
| Hamon should know. For four months he and his campaign team have been knocking on doors across La Verrière, drumming up support for Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande. | Hamon should know. For four months he and his campaign team have been knocking on doors across La Verrière, drumming up support for Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande. |
| In truth, the group outside the takeaway does not look very welcoming, but when one of the men recognises the politician, calls of "Monsieur Hamon, Monsieur Hamon" erupt. Suddenly the bored and insouciant are clustering round to shake hands. | In truth, the group outside the takeaway does not look very welcoming, but when one of the men recognises the politician, calls of "Monsieur Hamon, Monsieur Hamon" erupt. Suddenly the bored and insouciant are clustering round to shake hands. |
| There is a sense of novelty in the encounter. Door-to-door canvassing is relatively new in France; traditionally French politicians organise rallies and expect voters to come to them. "We don't see many politicians around here," one of the young men confides. For France's Socialist party, the need to mobilise its voters has rarely been more urgent; the result of last Sunday's first-round poll saw the far-right Front National (FN) led by Marine Le Pen pick up just under 18% of the votes. | There is a sense of novelty in the encounter. Door-to-door canvassing is relatively new in France; traditionally French politicians organise rallies and expect voters to come to them. "We don't see many politicians around here," one of the young men confides. For France's Socialist party, the need to mobilise its voters has rarely been more urgent; the result of last Sunday's first-round poll saw the far-right Front National (FN) led by Marine Le Pen pick up just under 18% of the votes. |
| Hollande and the incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy are in the final runoff next Sunday, but Le Pen's score puts her in the position of referee and has sent the national debate veering to the right. Sarkozy's rhetoric has sought to woo the FN voters: immigration, the number of "foreigners" in France, and the country's "Christian roots" all featured heavily in the president's rallying calls last week, prompting Le Monde to accuse him of crossing a moral and political line. | Hollande and the incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy are in the final runoff next Sunday, but Le Pen's score puts her in the position of referee and has sent the national debate veering to the right. Sarkozy's rhetoric has sought to woo the FN voters: immigration, the number of "foreigners" in France, and the country's "Christian roots" all featured heavily in the president's rallying calls last week, prompting Le Monde to accuse him of crossing a moral and political line. |
| "The heart of the Le Pen project remains what it has always been: retrograde, nationalistic and xenophobic … the leaders of the right have always, until now, rejected those ideas," Le Monde wrote, adding: "It is also a moral fault. In politics, as elsewhere, the end does not justify the means." | "The heart of the Le Pen project remains what it has always been: retrograde, nationalistic and xenophobic … the leaders of the right have always, until now, rejected those ideas," Le Monde wrote, adding: "It is also a moral fault. In politics, as elsewhere, the end does not justify the means." |
| Some critics went further, claiming that Sarkozy's rhetoric harked back to France's wartime collaborationist government. Eva Joly, a candidate for the Europe Ecology/Green party, accused the president of making proposals worthy of the Vichy regime leader Marshal Pétain, while the Left Front candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said Sarkozy had "turned the right into the extreme right" and used words "directly drawn from the collaboration". | Some critics went further, claiming that Sarkozy's rhetoric harked back to France's wartime collaborationist government. Eva Joly, a candidate for the Europe Ecology/Green party, accused the president of making proposals worthy of the Vichy regime leader Marshal Pétain, while the Left Front candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said Sarkozy had "turned the right into the extreme right" and used words "directly drawn from the collaboration". |
| On Friday, former prime minister Dominique de Villepin, a one-time cabinet colleague of Sarkozy's but now his sworn enemy, weighed in, describing the president's "extremist pledges" as terrifying. "The republic's red lines have been crossed one by one," he wrote in Le Monde. | On Friday, former prime minister Dominique de Villepin, a one-time cabinet colleague of Sarkozy's but now his sworn enemy, weighed in, describing the president's "extremist pledges" as terrifying. "The republic's red lines have been crossed one by one," he wrote in Le Monde. |
| Sarkozy, who faces fresh allegations that he received illegal funding from deposed Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi following the publication of a document that it is claimed proves he was given €50m towards his 2007 election campaign, has little choice but to court the far right to save his political career. The majority of opinion polls give Hollande 54%-55% of the second round vote against Sarkozy at 45%-46%. Crucial campaign milestones in the next few days will include the May Day rallies and a live television debate between Hollande and Sarkozy, but no previous candidate has succeeded in closing such a gap. | Sarkozy, who faces fresh allegations that he received illegal funding from deposed Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi following the publication of a document that it is claimed proves he was given €50m towards his 2007 election campaign, has little choice but to court the far right to save his political career. The majority of opinion polls give Hollande 54%-55% of the second round vote against Sarkozy at 45%-46%. Crucial campaign milestones in the next few days will include the May Day rallies and a live television debate between Hollande and Sarkozy, but no previous candidate has succeeded in closing such a gap. |
| Le Pen will address supporters at the traditional FN rally around the statue of Joan of Arc in Paris and is keeping the country in suspense about how, or even if, she will advise supporters to vote. Apart from her frequently expressed contempt for Sarkozy, she has an eye on the legislative elections in June, when the FN hopes to win scores of parliamentary seats. Sarkozy's defeat and the implosion of the mainstream is in her interest, but she cannot be seen to be supporting Hollande. Nicolas Bay, one of Le Pen's advisers, told Le Figaro: "Marine doesn't want to be caught with the knife in her hand." | Le Pen will address supporters at the traditional FN rally around the statue of Joan of Arc in Paris and is keeping the country in suspense about how, or even if, she will advise supporters to vote. Apart from her frequently expressed contempt for Sarkozy, she has an eye on the legislative elections in June, when the FN hopes to win scores of parliamentary seats. Sarkozy's defeat and the implosion of the mainstream is in her interest, but she cannot be seen to be supporting Hollande. Nicolas Bay, one of Le Pen's advisers, told Le Figaro: "Marine doesn't want to be caught with the knife in her hand." |
| On the ground, the Socialists are attempting to rebuff the FN vote by redoubling efforts to mobilise their own supporters. Inspired by President Barack Obama's election campaign in the US, they launched an ambitious programme in January to get five million French voters to open their doors. | On the ground, the Socialists are attempting to rebuff the FN vote by redoubling efforts to mobilise their own supporters. Inspired by President Barack Obama's election campaign in the US, they launched an ambitious programme in January to get five million French voters to open their doors. |
| An army of 120 professional "trainers" are overseeing 6,000 canvassers and 80,000 volunteers. Before last Sunday's vote they had succeeded in opening 3.8m doors in districts around 10,000 voting stations seen as a priority because of their high rate of abstention or support for the Socialists in 2007. | An army of 120 professional "trainers" are overseeing 6,000 canvassers and 80,000 volunteers. Before last Sunday's vote they had succeeded in opening 3.8m doors in districts around 10,000 voting stations seen as a priority because of their high rate of abstention or support for the Socialists in 2007. |
| "In all the voting stations where we carried out door-to-door canvassing before the first round there has been an increase of between 3% and 5% participation. As we are doing this in what are essentially our own areas, we are getting people out to vote for us," said Hamon. "It's been very successful in boosting our results." | "In all the voting stations where we carried out door-to-door canvassing before the first round there has been an increase of between 3% and 5% participation. As we are doing this in what are essentially our own areas, we are getting people out to vote for us," said Hamon. "It's been very successful in boosting our results." |
| One of those areas is La Verrière, a suburb of Trappes – the town in which football star Nicolas Anelka grew up – 35km from Paris in the Yvelines region. Home to just over 6,000 people, many of them young and from diverse ethnic backgrounds, it has an unemployment rate of 16%, far higher than the 9.3% national average, while household income is around €14,300, far lower than average. More than 65% of La Verrière's housing is run by the local authority. | One of those areas is La Verrière, a suburb of Trappes – the town in which football star Nicolas Anelka grew up – 35km from Paris in the Yvelines region. Home to just over 6,000 people, many of them young and from diverse ethnic backgrounds, it has an unemployment rate of 16%, far higher than the 9.3% national average, while household income is around €14,300, far lower than average. More than 65% of La Verrière's housing is run by the local authority. |
| Racing through the apartment blocks on Friday night, Hamon's patter is brisk. When a door opens, he hands over a leaflet that says he hopes the recipient will vote for Hollande "unless you are absolute fans of Sarkozy and Le Pen". He also mentions that he is standing for election to a local parliamentary seat in June; then he is off to the next door. The majority of people he speaks to wish him bon courage. | Racing through the apartment blocks on Friday night, Hamon's patter is brisk. When a door opens, he hands over a leaflet that says he hopes the recipient will vote for Hollande "unless you are absolute fans of Sarkozy and Le Pen". He also mentions that he is standing for election to a local parliamentary seat in June; then he is off to the next door. The majority of people he speaks to wish him bon courage. |
| Support for Hollande is almost unanimous. But Ali Rabeh, Hamon's campaign director, insists they are not simply preaching to the converted. "A lot of people don't vote because they feel disillusioned and excluded and don't think voting will change anything. Our aim is to motivate and mobilise them," he says. "It's more useful for us to canvass in areas that vote left than areas that vote right." | Support for Hollande is almost unanimous. But Ali Rabeh, Hamon's campaign director, insists they are not simply preaching to the converted. "A lot of people don't vote because they feel disillusioned and excluded and don't think voting will change anything. Our aim is to motivate and mobilise them," he says. "It's more useful for us to canvass in areas that vote left than areas that vote right." |
| Outside the shops, Rachid is angry. "Sarkozy, Le Pen … they're the same to us. All they do is brand us Muslim terrorists. It's all about creating fear." The others nod in agreement. The young and not-so-young men promise to vote next Sunday. | Outside the shops, Rachid is angry. "Sarkozy, Le Pen … they're the same to us. All they do is brand us Muslim terrorists. It's all about creating fear." The others nod in agreement. The young and not-so-young men promise to vote next Sunday. |
| Rabeh is optimistic that they will. "Benoît Hamon is the only politician who's bothered to come and speak to them. It's something of an event. Hopefully they'll talk about it among themselves and they'll turn out to vote. And that's what counts." | Rabeh is optimistic that they will. "Benoît Hamon is the only politician who's bothered to come and speak to them. It's something of an event. Hopefully they'll talk about it among themselves and they'll turn out to vote. And that's what counts." |
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