France: Sarkozy’s party battles to save itself

By Angela Charlton

Published November 25, 2012 5:00am ET

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France: Sarkozy’s party battles to save itself — FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2012 file photo, former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, left, and French conservative party UMP secretary general Jean-Francois Cope pose for photographers before a televised debate in Saint Denis, outside Paris. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party is holding emergency meetings Sunday to try to figure out who's in charge, after a disputed election for its new leader that could reshape French politics. After a decade at the helm of one of the world's leading economies, the Union for a Popular Movement party is now in shambles and may fall apart altogether. Central to the troubles is a debate among conservatives over immigration and Islam in France. The election a week ago split party members into those leaning toward the anti-immigrant far right, represented by Jean-Francois Cope, and those hewing to more centrist views, supporting Francois Fillon. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) | Christophe Ena

PARIS (AP) — Parents struggle to explain it to their kids. Ambassadors struggle to explain it to their governments. The only thing that’s clear is that French politics is a mess.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative party led one of the world’s biggest economies for a decade and now, in the space of a week, has melted down into something that may never be put back together again.

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