Sarkozy's son to stand as mayor in Paris suburb

FRANCE: President Nicolas Sarkozy's rule grew to resemble a monarchy or Third World dictatorship a little more yesterday, when his second son, Jean (21), announced he will stand for mayor of Neuilly, the rich Paris suburb that gave Sarkozy père his start in politics.

Mr Sarkozy was mayor of Neuilly from 1983 until 2004. When he was minister of the interior, he considered "giving" the post to his second wife, Cécilia.

Mr Sarkozy had personally anointed his spokesman, David Martinon (36), as his successor last September. "Someone who leaves without ensuring his succession is irresponsible," he said then. "Of course I will support this ticket [for the March municipal election] of young people I have trained, pushed and accompanied. That is also my responsibility."

But the affluent residents of Neuilly resented Mr Martinon's being "parachuted" into their town. Another Sarkozy favourite, justice minister Rachida Dati, is encountering difficulties in the snobbish seventh district of Paris, which Mr Sarkozy "gave" to her.

Both constituencies were considered safe strongholds for the right-wing UMP. "If a hamster stood (for mayor of Neuilly) with a UMP label on his forehead, he'd be elected," wrote Christophe Grébert, author of the mon-Neuilly.com blog.

Jean Sarkozy turned out to be more popular than Mr Martinon when he campaigned for him. A secret opinion poll leaked by Le Figaro created panic at the Élysée, because it showed Mr Martinon, known to detractors as le petit marquis, was in danger of losing the president's town. The poll predicted he would win 40 per cent of the vote, compared to 45 per cent for Jean-Christophe Fromantin, an independent right-wing rival from Neuilly.

"This is a city with a very strong personality and a very strong identity, which requires people who are profoundly attached to it - people [the city] knows and whom it can trust," Jean Sarkozy told France-Info radio.

Mr Martinon was supposed to accompany the president to Guyana last night but cancelled his trip.

Jean Sarkozy was hitherto known for his bleached blond locks and as owner of France's most famous motor scooter. When the vehicle was stolen during the presidential campaign, Mr Sarkozy mobilised French police and ordered DNA tests to find the thieves. Then the owner of a BMW filed a lawsuit against Sarkozy fils for having scraped his car on the Place de la Concorde before racing away. The case is pending.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times