A Female President of France?

January 21, 2007

After spending a glorious semester in Aix-en-Provence, France, I have become infatuated with all aspects of French culture. Not only is the food incredible, the general ambiance enticing, the rich ethos is ever apparent. While I was in Aix, the presidential primaries began, as well as the general bid for candidacy from a wide array of politicians. As a political science major, I yearned to immerse myself, first hand, in the thrilling opportunity to learn about a different country’s political process.

After arriving in France September 1st, 2007, I saw magazine covers of potential presidential candidates, I listened to passionate debates, and I saw both men and women situate themselves in the limelight and declare their candidacy. While the official French presidential campaign is supposed to start a mere two months before Election Day, just like in America, it became rapidly apparent that the real campaign begins much earlier.

My internship started with Olivier Sena, secretary of the Aix-en-Provence delegacy for the French Socialist Party (le Parti Socialiste). I continued interviewing members of different political parties, assisted with meetings and rallies, even worked at a precinct for the French socialist party presidential primaries. What did I discover? French politics are perpetually “face à face.” The left versus the right, men versus females, the candidate versus the political party, the extreme versus the republican, even the president versus the prime minister.

The French political system is a democracy. While two parties dominate the American system, the French seem to have a political party for nearly every political idea. The multi-party system permits each group, regardless of size, a potential voice in the government. No party possesses the majority, thus is it crucial to have alliances between parties to rally support and win elections. Since the 1974 presidential election (and the following 7 elections), it has been impossible to predict the final result more than six weeks in advance – there has always been a surprise outcome.

Currently, the two predominant candidates are Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy. Ségolène Royal, a woman, has gained immense support, ignited great controversy, and has been an anchor during this entire election. Ségolène is the first woman to have an actual shot at being the next president of the Republic. She is a people person with strong leader-member exchange. Segolene turned what could have been her biggest weakness, being a woman, into fuel to perpetuate her campaign. At the first Socialist Party debate during the primaries, each candidate was asked to explain the predominant difference that separated them from the other two candidates. Ségolène stated the obvious: “I am a woman.” By acknowledging what is already clear, Ségolène got rid of the elephant in the room and exhibited her pride as a woman and that having two X chromosomes is not a weakness. Ségolène possesses style. She is articulate, personable, and can relate to the entire French populace. In each of her initiatives she strives to include public voice and incorporate the French sentiment. She has even proposed making a “people’s court” to evaluate the corrupt reputation of French politics (in a poll last year 60% of French people believe politicians are corrupt). Her ability to listen and understand the concerns of the public and take a proactive approach to problem solving highlights her integrity and authentic nature. Ségolène also exhibits situational leadership, portrayed by her ability to respond to an array of scenarios as they arise. She has been victim to criticism of all sorts: her lack of knowledge about the military, international politics, and her inability to articulate tangible and practical ideas. Still, she is currently the strongest candidate, surpassing her biggest rival, Nicolas Sarkozy, the current Prime Minister.

Ségolène has marketed her ability to change and revolutionize French politics. After spending four months in France, it is clear the populace is yearning for change. Her skills as an orator, a strong woman, and her vision for progressive reform makes Ségolène a true leader.

Henri Rey, a researcher at the Centre pour l'étude de la Politique Française à Paris stated, “It is impossible to classify Ségolène in the socialist party, you cannot say that she is on the right, left, or even center.” Ségolène Royal transcends traditional political party boundaries, giving her a real chance to create history as the first female president of France, May 2007.