French press review 27 March 2012

Senegal's new president, President Nicolas Sarkozy's bank balance and why the Dutch are so happy grab the headlines in the French newspapers.

Le Monde and catholic La Croix both give pride of place to Senegal.

Le Monde says voters have sent Wade into retirement; La Croix says Senegal has chosen change.

The Le Monde editorial wonders how the news from Dakar must sound on the streets of Bamako. While one west African nation follows the road of democratic rectitude, neighbouring Mali is heading towards chaos and confusion.

The Senegalese winner, Macky Sall, has his work cut out for him, with about half of Senegal's 13 million people living below the poverty line, a huge public sector debt, immense corruption, and youth unemployment to make your heart bleed. But at least the Senegalese are prepared to tackle their problems according to the democratic rule-book.

Neighbouring Mali, in sharp contrast, has been taken over by a group of disgruntled soldiers, unhappy at the means being provided to the military in the struggle against Touareg and other rebels in the north.

Increased muscle will not defeat the Touareg, says Le Monde, because the entire southern Sahara zone has been destabilised by jihadists and heavily-armed refugees from Khadafi's Libya.

Europe needs to take an interest in the region, source of so many illegal immigrants, and work out some kind of aid programme to prevent the creation of a vast Far West, full of bad guys with guns.

Because, says Le Monde ominously, a civil war in Mali won't be good news for anybody, least of all Senegal's new president.

Speaking of presidents, how much is Nicolas Sarkozy worth? The French head honcho is not currently for sale, but he does have to publish his personal accounts each year, and Le Monde reports the highlights.

That's how I can tell you that President Nicolas Sarkozy has two life assurance policies, worth a total of nearly three million euros. That his personal bank balance on 17 February last was 56,000 euros and that his collection of watches and statues is worth 100,000 euros.

He has no stock portfolio, and does not own any property. But he does own one third of a law firm, the value of which is not detailed but which is probably worth a watch or two. So, just in case anyone was worried, should Sarkozy follow Senegal's Wade on the road to being an ex-president next May, he is not likely to end up in the gutter without a crust.

Le Figaro, like the French police, is wondering where the Toulouse killer, Mohamed Merah, managed to get his arsenal of sophisticated weapons. He had three Colt 45s, an Uzi sub-machine gun, a pump action shotgun, a sten gun and a Colt Python, with a total estimated street value of nearly 15,000 euros.

It's a bizarre collection, says Le Figaro, far from typical of the profile of the standard muslim terrorist. And not the arsenal of a professional hitman either. The crucial question is how an unemployed 23-year-old managed to obtain material which, apart from its cash value, is not easily come by.

Also from Le Monde, news that a recent opinion poll carried out in Holland shows 91per cent of the Dutch saying they are either "happy" or "very happy". That's way above the 59 per cent happiness average in the developed world.

The smiling Dutch are not without their reasons: they have the best retirement system in the world, 4,000 fewer people in prison than five years ago, a third of reported crimes concern, wait for it, stolen bicycles.

But, this is where it gets complicated. The Le Monde article clearly says that there are eleven bicycles for every ten Dutch people. So, who is stealing the bally things? And what would ten people, even Dutch ones, have done with eleven bikes in the first place?