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Sarko, Ségo Shake Things Up

Posted May 31, 07 12:33 PM CDT in Politics,  Arts & Living,  Gossip,  World 

(Newser) – France has been gripped by a serious case of political stagnation, and the recent election between two bright young things—Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal—has smashed it out of its stupor, William Pfaff reflects in the New York Review of Books.

France's real problem was an aging set of political leaders, too deep in collusion with one another. But the election invigorated France. 3.3 million new people registered to vote. A third of the population watched Sarko and Ségo’s feisty debate. Now the French have elected an à la mode candidate who breaks the mold—and, Pfaff says, it’s emerging from the ennui that gripped it.

Source New York Review of Books

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France's new president Nicolas Sarkozy, left, shakes hands with an unidentified woman as he starts a jog from his presidential vacation residence of Fort de Bregancon, near Bormes-Les-Mimosas, southern...   (Associated Press)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy waves to supporters at the end of an electoral meeting, for the upcoming legislative elections, in Le Havre, Western France, Tuesday May 29, 2007 .(AP Photo/Remy de la...   (Associated Press)
Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe, left, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrive for an official and traditional ceremony during which the newly elected President is hosted by the Paris mayor at the Paris...   (Associated Press)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, and new Economy and Finance minister Jean-Louis Borloo, left, during their visit at the Airbus plant in Toulouse, southwestern France, Friday, May 18, 2007. Sarkozy...   (Associated Press)
Nicolas Sarkozy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)   (Associated Press)
immigration. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)   (Associated Press)
A young girl hold a poster of Segolene Royal as supporters react , background, react in Melle, Southwestern France, Sunday May 6, 2007, after the victory of Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round of...   (Associated Press)
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