20 12 Ten Highlights of French Presidential Election

Apart from the loyal fans of a few candidates, the current French society can be roughly divided into three groups and five subgroups: the first group is active and enterprising people who adapt to change, most of them are elites, and some are awakened at the bottom. Their understanding of "new world" and "old France" is sober and appropriate. They are relatively staunch supporters of Sarkozy's reform, but if the reform is not fast enough, the elite will "vote with their feet." The second group, with the largest number, is a conservative isolationist. They have neither enough understanding nor enough interest in the changing world, and they are conditional supporters of reform. This group can be subdivided into two categories: one is to put people's interests first in the future and make choices in the face of crisis. They support Sarkozy because they oppose the socialist party; The other faction puts its own interests first and supports Hollande because of anti-Sa. The third group thinks they are victims of the globalization crisis and Sarkozy's reform. According to the immigration policy and "revolution", it is divided into supporters of the National Front who refuse immigration and supporters of the Left Front who demand "people's revolution". Moderate rationalists who oppose two oligarchs in each group are supporters of the "democratic movement". Those who give priority to ecological humanity support the Green Party.

2. How will France's democratic system be improved?

Although the Great Revolution took place in 1789, the Fifth Republic of France was founded in 1958, and the direct presidential election began in 1965. Therefore, compared with the United States, Britain and other countries, France's democratic system is more "fresh", so it is natural to fully learn from other traditional models and learn from each other's strengths. Coupled with the French love for "revolution" and "discontent", the changes of French democratic system are relatively drastic. For example, the two rounds of elections and the multi-party system, the equal right of candidates to speak, and the upper limit of election funds are all good points for democratic observation.

3. Can France regain its international status in the past?

The decline of France's influence on the world pattern is an inevitable trend. Even if it played an important role in the Arab Spring, it cannot be redeemed. Within the EU, Germany also relies on its huge economic strength and competitiveness, which makes the Franco-German axis biased towards Germany. Except for Africa, France's traditional diplomatic territory, most candidates prefer to use Europe and NATO to project power around the world, but the specific strategies are different.

4. How far can the French welfare model go?

From the 35-hour working week to the nearly perfect social security, France is a model of a welfare state, which is what readers in China yearn for. However, France has the nickname of "national wet nurse" and is regarded by the right-wing elite as the chief culprit of France's decline. In view of the fact that the French are very proud of the "French model", all the candidates are afraid to touch the word and only seek change from the connotation. Only left-wing candidates such as Milan Song insisted on consolidating the original French model. The result of the first round of elections will actually be voters' "judgment" on the traditional French model.

5. Will France leave the euro zone?

From a political point of view, once the euro collapses, even if Greece leaves the euro zone, it will lead to the defeat of the current governments of France and Germany, so the euro will not end before the end of the German election next year. However, due to the lack of a unified European Ministry of Finance, the euro is inherently inadequate. From an economic point of view, collapse is almost inevitable, and the only reason for its existence is the belief of politicians. Among the main candidates, only Marlene Le Pen of the National Front asked to leave the euro zone on the grounds of "quitting before the euro collapsed". Others insist on saving the euro, but their plans are different. Sarkozy focused on fiscal austerity and foreign economic assistance, and Hollande emphasized the role of the European Central Bank, but they all agreed to establish a unified European Ministry of Finance.

6. Can the French economy recover in the short term?

As for the understanding of the reasons for the decline of France, the ruling party blames the high labor cost, and some people think that it is caused by unfair competition in globalization. As to what kind of economic stimulus policy to adopt, the ruling party demands to cancel the 35-hour working week and other ways to reduce costs. The left tends to overcome difficulties through "equal wealth", the "democratic movement" advocates buying French domestic products, and the far right demands stricter trade protection.

7. What kind of immigration policy will France implement?

During the general election, the issue of immigration will become a focus topic. Sarkozy suggested reducing it to 654.38 million+people per year and insisting on selective immigration. Both of them refused to "turn positive" any illegal immigrants. Under the principle of reducing the total number, Hollande put forward the slogan of "smart immigrants" to deal with illegal immigrants on a case-by-case basis, while other leftist candidates tend to legalize all immigrants under certain conditions. Generally speaking, it will be more and more difficult to immigrate to France (especially to work immigrants), because considering human rights factors such as family reunion, the number of immigrants cannot be greatly reduced, so France will have to make a fuss about work visas.

8. Will France completely abolish nuclear power?

Because of the nuclear disaster in Japan, this issue has become a hot topic in this election. Nuclear power accounts for 75% of France's energy supply and is also France's leading high-tech industry in the world, so the candidates have different views. The Green Party insisted that France cancel nuclear power before 203 1, Hollande suggested that the proportion of nuclear power should be reduced from 75% to 50% by 2025, and Sarkozy insisted on protecting France's leading nuclear industry.

9. When was the 6th French Parliament established?

France, hidden under the mask of traditional conservatism, has been surging with "revolutionary" passion. From the Great Revolution to the May storm of 1968, the French left always tried to fight at the forefront of justice and equality in human society. In this general election, the Green Party and the Left Front openly proposed the establishment of a new French Sixth Republic, in order to realize the real people being masters of their own affairs and promote the "evolution" of French democracy. However, within the Socialist Party, the theoretical construction of the Sixth Republic has never stopped. Even the right-wing former President D 'Estaing said: "If the Great Revolution still has an important influence in French politics, it means that the goal of the revolution has not been achieved." Therefore, even though the sixth country may not be established in the short term, I believe it will eventually emerge.

10. What will happen to Sino-French relations?

Proceeding from national interests, foreign policy is generally continuous and will not change abruptly with the change of political parties. However, China and France have different political systems, and the values of the ruling authorities are also different. Without the willingness and skills to compromise and communicate with each other, it is difficult to avoid major conflicts. If President Sarkozy, who has five years of experience in cooperation with China, is re-elected, Sino-French relations will basically develop steadily. However, if the Socialist Party, which upholds human rights and doesn't know much about China, is in power, a new running-in period is needed between the two ruling parties.