French press review 29 August 2016

Ex-prime minister François Fillon attacks former boss Nicolas Sarkozy as he launches presidential bid. And PSG faces uncertainty after biting the dust in Monaco.

The papers are all about the conservative Republicans party's primaries to elect its flag-bearer for the 2017 presidential race.

Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppé, who is favourite in the polls, launched his campaign this weekend just days after former President Nicloas Sarkozy rolled out an operation to win back the Elyséé he lost to Socialist François Hollande four years ago.

Le Figaro says a two-point agenda awaits the candidates. It argues that they first have to rebuild the economy, "paradoxically crippled by a heavy debt burden despite being overtaxed" by the Socialist government and then "reinculcate the fundamental values of the Republic".

The right-wing newspaper says the "perceived difference in the appreciation of the candidates' programmes" is adding some political flavour to the primaries.

High noon for Fillon and Sarkozy

Libération describes the power play underway inside the right-wing party as "a cowboy movie".

It points to Francois Fillon's remarks during his campaign launch in his Sablé-sur-Sarthe constituency on Sunday as a sign of the times.

Without mentioning Sarkozy by name Fillon said that "people who do not respect the laws of the Republic should neither seek the ballots of voters nor talk about authority when they are not beyond reproach".

Hence the left-leaning publication's conviction that the primaries will be nothing more than a settling of scores, a rendition of the Italian Spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in which each of the candidates will be able to play the leading role he wants.

The paper bets that the primaries will be a "spectacle of naked political ambitions and destructive uppercuts".

"By the time the boxing bout comes to an end," it says, a key question will need to be answered: "Is the Republican opposition a credible alternative for the country?"

That's unlikely, says Libé. It substantiates it's opinion with the findings of a new Viavoice survey, showing that, for a majority of French voters, the conservatives won't do better than the current Socialist government on the economy, social issues and, surprisingly, on security and the fight against terrorism.

As Libé observes, it expected a warmer reception for the opposition after all the bad things being said about the stewardship of Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

PSG bites the dust in Monaco

Several dailies comment about the 3-1 defeat of reigning French football champions Paris Saint-Germain by Monaco on Sunday. It was PSG's first defeat under new coach Unai Emery and Le Parisien is first to express shock at the crash off the rock at the Louis II stadium.

The sports daily l'Equipe wasted no time before giving its view on the lesson the French giants were given in Monaco. The defeat raises major questions about the capital club's strategy after a summer in which they sacked coach Laurent Blanc and lost their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it says.