zee French, zey are voting

Le soleil brille...
le ciel est bleu...
les mouches pètent...
et les Français, eux, ils votent...

It appears that not much has changed over the past couple months: rightist Nicolas Sarkozy and leftist Ségolène Royal remain the top two contenders for the French presidency, with fully forty percent of the voting population undecided as to how their country should proceed. As the article says, Sarkozy represents a more pro-American path, but his policies will not be labor-friendly and he will expect workers actually to work instead of relying on government support, especially if France wishes to remain globally competitive. To choose Royal would be to choose an even more overtly socialist route, one which would include government subsidies for youth jobs.

It will be interesting to see what future France chooses for itself. The election won't be decided until the final round of voting on May 6; the current vote is a preliminary that will narrow down the candidate field.


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