Sarkozy wins French presidential elections

[Adux]

Sarkozy wins French presidential elections

Monday, May 07, 2007
08:25 IST

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Paris: Nicolas Sarkozy, a blunt and uncompromising pro-American conservative, was elected president of France with a mandate to chart a new course for an economically sluggish nation struggling to incorporate immigrants and their children.


Sarkozy defeated Socialist Segolene Royal by 53.06 per cent to 46.94 per cent with an 84 per cent voter turnout, according to final results released on Monday. It was a decisive victory for Sarkozy's vision of freer markets and toughness on crime and immigration, over Royal's gentler plan for preserving cherished welfare protections, including a 35-hour work week that Sarkozy called 'absurd'.


"The people of France have chosen change," Sarkozy told cheering supporters in a victory speech that sketched out a stronger global role for France and renewed partnership with the United States.


Scattered election-night violence was reported around France. There had been fears that the impoverished suburban housing projects, home to Arab and African immigrants and their French-born

children, would erupt again at the victory of a man who labeled those responsible for rioting in 2005 as 'scum'. That abrasive style raised doubts over whether Sarkozy, himself the son of a Hungarian refugee, could truly unite the increasingly diverse and polarized nation.


Late Sunday, small bands of youths hurled stones and other objects at police at the Place de la Bastille in Paris. Some bared their backsides at riot officers behind their shields, and police fired volleys of tear gas. Two police unions said firebombs targeted schools and recreation centers in several towns in the Essonne region just south of Paris. Sarkozy pledged in his victory speech to be president "of all the French, without exception".


But that task will not be easy. The 52-year-old former interior minister inherits a nation losing faith in itself, paralyzed by worries over globalization, bitter at American dominance and saddled with social tensions.


For all his determination and talk of change, Sarkozy also is certain to face resistance from powerful unions to his plans to make the French work more and make it easier for companies to hire and fire. "Like Thatcher in Britain, like Reagan in the United States, Sarkozy will change things,"

said a supporter.
http://content.msn.co.in/News/International/internationalAP_070507_0825

 

[Bull]

Do you think he is going to forge ahead with his economic reforms. Rememeber he managed to get only 53%, a whopping 47% is against him.

 

[Awesome]

It's no better news for French Muslims though. This dude vigorously supported the satirical cartoons being republished in French newspapers stating,

"'I am not in favour of any kind of censorship, whether of men, ideas or religions"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/08/wfra08.xml


Of course he stills seeks to ban out the Hijab.

Sarkozy dared Ramadan, well known and respected to Muslims, especially to the alienated youth in France's decrepit suburban housing estates, to ask Muslim women to take off their hijab for a bandana.

“If you tender a request to Muslim female students clad in hijab to take it off, I will consider you one of those encouraging moderate Islam and Muslims’ integration into our society,” Sarkozy said defiantly.

But Ramadan turned down the live request, asking instead for the French government to stick to 1905 law which guarantees freedom to wear the Islamic headwear.

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-11/22/article03.shtml

 

[Adux]

You cant exactly call 47% against him, Royale and the rest of them together have it.
I would call him the right choice for France, About time France and most european countries get their identity back, than be eurowussie's. France needs to make tough choices, in these tough times. And he is the right person for it.Its their country and they need to assert themselves as French.

 

[Awesome]

You cant exactly call 47% against him, Royale and the rest of them together have it.
I would call him the right choice for France, About time France and most european countries get their identity back, than be eurowussie's. France needs to make tough choices, in these tough times. And he is the right person for it.Its their country and they need to assert themselves as French.

You mean become hypocrites?

These Europeans are the first to cry foul and the lack of religious freedom in Saudi and Iran but when it comes to their own country they won't practice what they preach. If they don't bring forth a culture of equality amongst all citizens, it's only a matter of time they are overtaken by the Muslims. Tyranny of the majority can work both ways.

 

[Adux]

it's only a matter of time they are overtaken by the Muslims.

Explain?

Well, French told to practice religion at your home, and they dont see hijab/niqab or a matter of fact any religious including jew skull cap, sikh turban, christian cross. They said in educational insitution's there is no need of any religious symbolism. And I agree with whole-heartly. They were doing equality in my view. They are be equal in law to all religion, so please lets not even compare to Saudi or Iran. Its not as if christanity is protected and the rest of the religions subdued.

 

[Awesome]

Who is talking about a need? It's a dress code. They are essentially stripping women off their clothing. Something those women hold parallel to being nude.

It's not an educational need, but a part of someone's lifestyle. By forcing it out, they are denying education to an entire lifestyle. A headscarf at the very least is the least bit of inconvenience to someone else.

There's this thing about freedom that they used to say. You're free to do anything as long as your freedom does not affect someone else's. And let's step aside from the BS, most of it is an intentional ploy to force Muslims to leave those countries. Weird thing is now they have a large local population that is Muslim now. It's a matter of time when Muslims are in majority in countries like France. I can assure you they won't make wearing the head scarf mandatory for French women.

It should be a matter of freewill. Whoever wants to wear it should do so and whoever does not, shouldn't.

 

[Adux]

Well, In that country they dont view it that way, so it doesnt make sense. They are talking about in School, not outside.I compeltly agree, religion should be kept out of school. Intentional Ploy, oh god.the amount of conspiracy theory that comes up over here. No religion has been allowed, so dont make it "Conspiracy against Muslims". There are people who consider a woman in black cloth all over them as quite scary, and it has nothing to do in a school, I do not at all concur with practice of niqab/hijab personally, I think it is quite degrading for woman.Those muslim population are migrants to a very large extent.
70% of them are north-african muslims.Sarkozy intends to stop this migration and I concur with that too