Fraternité?

BOTH FRANCE AND the United States will hold presidential elections in the next 24 months: France in April-May 2007 and the United States in November 2008. Earlier this month, the members of France’s Socialist party overwhelmingly voted to nominate the telegenic female MP Ségolène Royal as their candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. While the 53-year-old wife of Socialist party leader François Hollande is considered by many to have great style, political and otherwise, she proved to be short on substance during the Socialist primary campaign. Nevertheless, with over 60 percent of the vote she soundly defeated former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius as well as former Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn.