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Jospin Comeback Falls Flat in France
- French adults have not been particularly swayed by the return of a former prime minister to the political stage, according to two recent public opinion polls. In a survey conducted by CSA for France Info, 56 per cent of respondents oppose Lionel Jospin becoming a presidential candidate.
Jospin—a member of the Socialist Party (PS)—served as education minister under president François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1992, and as prime minister from June 1997 to May 2002. In the 1995 presidential election, Jospin lost a run-off to centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) member Jacques Chirac. In the 2002 ballot, Jospin finished third.
A study by Ifop for Le Journal du Dimanche placed Poitou-Charentes regional government leader Ségolène Royal as the top Socialist presidential contender with the support of 51 per cent of respondents, followed by Jospin with 15 per cent, and former finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn with 10 per cent.
Support is lower for former culture and education minister Jack Lang, former health minister Bernard Kouchner, former employment minister Martine Aubry, former prime minister Laurent Fabius, and current PS leader François Hollande. PS members will select their presidential candidate in a primary election on Nov. 16.
On Sept. 16, the PS presidential hopefuls participated in a 20-minute presentation in Lens. Strauss-Kahn vowed to revitalize the industry sector, saying, "It is the heart of growth creation. You don't make 60 million people live only on services." Fabius described interior minister and prospective UMP presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy as "the future poodle of the U.S. president."
The next presidential election is scheduled for Apr. 22, 2007. If no candidate garners more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots, a run-off would take place on May 6.
Polling Data
a) Do you favour or oppose Lionel Jospin becoming a presidential candidate?
All | PS Supporters | |
Favour | 32% | 48% |
Oppose | 56% | 50% |
No reply | 12% | 2% |
Source: CSA / France Info
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 956 French adults, conducted on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, 2006. No margin of error was provided.
b) Which of these persons is, in your view, the best candidate to represent the Socialist Party (PS) in the next presidential election?
Sept. 2006 | May 2006 | |
Ségolène Royal | 51% | 50% |
Lionel Jospin | 15% | 14% |
Dominique Strauss-Kahn | 10% | 7% |
Jack Lang | 7% | 8% |
Bernard Kouchner | 5% | 8% |
Martine Aubryy | 4% | 3% |
Laurent Fabius | 3% | 5% |
François Hollande | 3% | 3% |
Source: Ifop / Le Journal du Dimanche
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 621 French adults who support the Socialist Party (PS), conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8, 2006. No margin of error was provided.