French leader, on world stage, disappoints at home

[Gerald]

PARIS – President Nicolas Sarkozy has flexed France's military muscle overseas, but his foreign forays have not seemed to help his troubled political fortunes as a possible re-election bid looms next year.

In recent weeks, two popular personalities defected from Sarkozy's governing conservative party; the presidential race field widened after a former Socialist Party boss joined; and new polls indicated that more than two-thirds of the French continue to dislike Sarkozy's policies.

Then there's the resurgence of France's main far-right political party, the National Front: Sarkozy, with his reputation as a tough-on-crime former interior minister, poached from its voter base on way to his victory in 2007.

The backdrop spells political trouble ahead for Sarkozy, a strong U.S. ally who has overseen U.N.-backed military action in Libya and Ivory Coast. It could shape his policy choices as the 2012 vote nears. He has not announced formally whether he will run, though many expect he will.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04...appoints-home/


Note: April 10, 2011