Sarkozy predicts surprise in French presidential first round

The first round of France’s presidential election on Sunday has some surprises in store, incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy told RFI Thursday. And, he predicted, that if his Socialist rival François Hollande wins, he will take a policy U-turn within two days.

Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes

The last opinion polls of the campaign appeared Friday and two out of three showed Hollande ahead of Sarkozy in the first round, the other showing the rivals neck and neck. All three showed Hollande, who talked to RFI on Wednesday, the victor in the second round.

But there could be a high abstention rate and many voters appear undecided, leaving Sarkozy’s camp predicting a result that will make fools of the pollsters.

Sarkozy told RFI that he had never seen such a high level of mobilisation of his own UMP party, “and that means quite a surprise for the first round, before getting involved in the campaign for the second round”.

If Hollande does win he will face up to the country’s debt and that will mean a change in policy, Sarkozy predicted.

“In 1981 François Mitterrand took two years to take a U-turn towards austerity. In 2012 it will last 2012.”

Sarkozy called for the European Central Bank to intervene to support growth, “as happens in the US with the Fed, in Beijing with the Central Bank of China and in Japan”.

Hollande on Friday called on the bank to lower its interest rates to support growth.

Sarkozy ruled out a French military intervention in Mali but said it might offer “logistical support to the democratic authorities … and to the countries of the region” to help prevent the establishment of a “terrorist state” in the north of the country, following the declaration of an independent Tuareg state there.