Sarkozy's France: Je t'aime, moi non plus

“THE French people,” he announced on the day he was sworn in as president, “have demanded change.” Proclaiming “a new era in French politics”, the dynamic young leader swept into office, vowing to modernise the face of government and the country. Despite a promising start, however, the global economic shock, combined with divisions on the political right, took their toll. In the end, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing lost to the Socialists in 1981, after just one term in office.

Over the past 30 years, Mr Giscard d’Estaing is the only French president not to have won re-election. Now, for the first time, the spectre of a one-term presidency has begun to hover menacingly over France’s current leader, Nicolas Sarkozy. His popularity has dropped to record lows. Some 55% of the French say they want the left to return to power at the next presidential election, in 2012. One poll suggests that, in a second-round run-off, Mr Sarkozy would be beaten by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a socialist who is now the IMF boss in Washington, by a crushing 59% to 41%.

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