French press review 7 October 2016

The French press slams UN for Aleppo tragedywhile President Francois Hollande moves one step closer to  declaring candidacy with his big bang on "refreshing democracy".

UN in Syrian Syrian tragedy

Several papers comment on the situation in the besieged Syrian town of Aleppo facing total destruction, according to the UN's Syria envoy, as government forces make their biggest gains against Western-backed rebels.

Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace newspaper is angry at the UN's inability to halt the carnage.

The former President Charles De Gaulle was right to brand the organization as useless writes Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace.

The publication says two of the superpowers - Russia and China - chose to wage war while the United States, which is the sole member capable of facing them opted to abdicate.The paper expresses the hope that the new UN secretary General Antonio Gutterez will be able to get them talking to each other again.

Hollande and Democracy

Some commentators take up President Francois Hollande's appeal for an overhaul of French democracy.  In an address at a democracy seminar held at the National Assembly on Thursday, Hollande proposed a new 70-day deadline to fast-track the  passage of laws in parliament, the tabling of citizens' bills and the holding of  referenda which some newspapers see as the latest sign of his plans to seek re-election.

For Ouest France, it is good news to see President Hollande admit the people's loss of confidence in both the institutions of the state and the officials who incarnate them.

For its part, le Parisien, argues that the normally inaudible Hollande was simply taking advantage of a golden opportunity to be heard.

For L'Eclair des Pyrénées, Monsieur Hollande is back in the reality world, after being swept away the ideological perceptions of events, having failed to reverse the double-digit unemployment curve and to bring better living conditions for youths after five years in office.

Juppe/Sarkozy

Libération looksn conservative presidential candidate Alain Juppé's exclusive interview in a prime time television program Thursday night.

According to the left-leaning publication, the Bordeaux Mayor and front runner seized the moment to counter charges by ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy that he was conniving with leftist voters to steal the Republicans party primaries in November. Libé says Juppé retaliated with punches, warning that "anyone trying to sabotage the primaries would just explode in midair".