French press review 19 November 2011

In Saturday’s French papers: the rising poll figures of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the impending defeat of Spain’s Socialist government in Sunday’s general election and Eva Joly’s disappearance from the “radar screens” after the painstaking accord signed between the Socialists and the Green party, Europe Ecologie/Les Verts.

Le Figaro reports that former graft-busting judge Eva Joly has cancelled all her political appointments, angered by the shortcomings of the Socialist/Green accord on nuclear reduction policy. It takes self-control and a high capacity to takes blows accept to be able to stand for office, lectures Le Figaro.

The paper points out that presidential elections are the premier league of politics and the preserve of professionals. Le Figaro rules it was therefore a grave mistake, to pick a “rigid, stubborn and amateur politician to lead the Green party in the 2012 presidential elections".

The regional newspaper L'Alsace claims that Eva Joly is not expected to resurface at this weekend’s Greens federal council, where the nuclear energy reduction accord signed with the Socialists is due to be approved. L’Alsace notes that it is unprecedented for a presidential candidate to miss such a crucial political moment.

La Charente Libre points out that Joly’s “blackout” has actually succeeded in getting the press to worry about her, an “exposure” the Greens' presidential candidate hasn’t had for a long time. Le Journal de la Haute-Marne, based near Paris, holds that the former prosecuting judge, it argues, is still to understand that there are differences between the political code and the penal code.

Some regional papers take up the declining political fortunes of Socialists presidential candidate François Hollande. Le Maine Libre, in the Brittany city of Le Mans, notes that Hollande’s situation is compounded by the controversial nuclear trade-off for parliamentary seats, stinging attacks from the far-left firebrand leader, Jean Luc Mélenchon. He puts Hollande and President Nicolas Sarkozy in the same political basket of “austerity-mongers”. The regional paper wonders how, in a matter of days, Hollande managed to break the dynamic created by the Socialist primaries

Aujourd’hui en France investigates Sarkozy’s rising poll figures. He hasn’t officially declared his bid for a second term, but the Parisian paper says his cloudy political skies are clearing up and that he is currently fine-tuning the organisation of his campaign with discretion.

Aujourd’hui en France says the ruling UMP party is fired up and in battle gear, buoyed, the paper notes by a two-week surge in the polls of its champion, the "brouhaha" from the left, François Hollande’s “turbulent times” and the economic crisis.

Le Monde looks ahead to Sunday’s Spanish elections as the conservative National Party stands set to claim a landslide victory. The newspaper has put out a special issue on the Spanish polls which are being held at a time of crisis for Europe. The paper hopes for a strong and unambiguous pro-European political choice. According to Le Monde, Sunday’s poll is not just crucial for Spain but also for France, for the euro and for Europe.

Sud-Ouest says it is worthwhile paying attention to the Spanish Sunday.

Spain, it says, votes in an atmosphere blurred by disillusion, demonstrations and great fatigue. La Puerta del Sol in the heart of Madrid, the regional paper claims, remains the symbol of the “indignants” revolt, that has spread right to the gates of Wall Street in the United States.

Libération explains the Socialists are set to become the sixth European government to become a victim of the crisis as voters in Europe continue to throw out the incumbents. Zapatero is not seeking to become prime minister after eight years in office, explains the paper. Libé has some concerns about the scale of the conservatives' victory. The “Indignants” revolt and a probable high rate of abstention show the people’s refusal to choose between a leftist austerity and right-wing rigour.