France’s Election by Default
As the French prepare to vote in this month's presidential election, they perceive no real difference between an incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has not kept his promises, and a challenger, François Hollande, whose promises are untenable. So they will vote largely on the basis of personality – a choice that hardly makes the candidates more attractive.
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PARIS – Rousseau versus Hobbes: on the cover of the French magazine Philosophie, the two leading contenders in France’s upcoming presidential election, the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and the Socialist candidate François Hollande, are dressed up accordingly. “The real presidential contest” according to the magazine, pits the consensual and contractual vision of Rousseau (Hollande) against the violent “every man is a wolf to his fellow man” vision of Hobbes (Sarkozy).