Sarkozy unsettled by the rise of IMF boss Strauss-Kahn

The purpose of IMF's chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s visit to Berlin yesterday may have been to lobby German leaders over the bailout for Greece, but peddlers in Parisian political intrigue will have kept a close eye on events in the German capital.

It’s a sign of just how credible a threat the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is believed to pose to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s chances of re-election in 2012 that a rumour has circulated in Paris for months that Sarkozy’s reluctance to involve the IMF in the Greek rescue was driven partly out of fear of bolstering the profile of his heavyweight rival. The theory has a far-fetched ring to it, but the president has every reason to be unsettled by Strauss-Kahn’s rise.

As Sarkozy’s popularity has sunk to new depths in recent months, that of the Socialist former finance minister has been climbing steadily. Polls consistently place him as one of the most popular French politicians and the candidate most likely to defeat Sarkozy in the 2012 election. An Ifop poll in February found that in a head-to-head, a remarkable 61 per cent of people would back Strauss-Kahn against just 36 per cent for Sarkozy.

For more: Sarkozy unsettled by the rise of IMF boss Strauss-Kahn - The Irish Times - Thu, Apr 29, 2010