Sarkozy set to declare himself
The president is said to be poised to announce his candidature for the presidential elections
PRESIDENT Sarkozy, who opened a Twitter account today, is set to become “candidate Sarkozy” tonight.
After months of speculation about when he would officially declare he is standing for reelection, he plans an announcement that will be “simple and direct”, according to one of his close advisers quoted in Le Figaro.
Having chosen to make the announcement on TF1 news, which has the highest audience figures, “[newsreader] Laurence Ferrari will ask him the question and Nicolas Sarkozy will reply”, the adviser said.
Getting with the times, the president got ready for the big day by opening a Twitter account this morning, tweeting: “Hello everyone. I am very happy to be launching my personal #Twitter account today. Thank you to anyone who would like to follow me! NS.”
He is expected to make his first speech as candidate at Annecy on Thursday, and another in Marseille, on Sunday. At Annecy he is expected to explain why is standing and to present himself as “the candidate of the people”.
The president is organising his campaign team, which will be based at a headquarters in the 15th arrondissement, and a meeting is said to be planned tonight to decide on who is doing what. It is expected to include such figures as Guillaume Lambert, head of Sarkozy’s private office, who will be campaign manager; adviser Jean-Baptiste de Froment, who is said to be tasked with drawing up the official campaign document, special adviser Emmanuelle Mignon and Elysée webmaster Nicolas Princen.
Speaking to MPs this week Sarkozy expressed satisfaction at having the support of Christine Boutin, leader of the Parti Chrétien Démocrate, and of Nouveau Centre president Hervé Morin. He said he would also be backed by “an important personality of the left” (understood to mean Claude Allègre, a former minister under Lionel Jospin).
