Aubry challenge
June 28, 2011
Martine Aubry on Tuesday formally announced she would seek her Socialist party's nomination to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy. Her candidacy comes on the opening day of nominations for party primaries scheduled for October.
"I undertake before you today [to achieve] a victory in 2012,"Aubry, 60, told supporters in the northern city of Lille, where she is mayor.
The announcement had been expected ever since former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the party's top hope for the candidacy, was ruled out of the race following his arrest on charges of sexual assaulting a New York hotel maid.
"A big democratic blast"
Four other Socialists have already thrown their hats in the ring, but Aubry and former party leader Francois Hollande are regarded as the strongest contenders, with 2007 presidential runner-up Segolene Royal trailing in third place. The selection contest is scheduled to wind up in October, six months before the election.
Aubry vowed to be a unifying candidate.
"I want, more than anything, to bring people together," she said. She added that she wanted to boost France's competitiveness while also protecting low-income citizens.
Uphill battle for Sarkozy
Aubry cast herself as a candidate of the people, campaigning against power and privilege at a time when political elites are suffering from deep mistrust, and the forces of finance are blamed for the economic crisis. Aubry is best known for introducing France's 35-hour work week when she was employment minister in the late 1990s. Her father is the former European Commission president Jacques Delors.
The Socialists are determined to win power again after three terms in opposition.
Opinion polls indicate that both Hollande and Aubry could easily defeat Nicolas Sarkozy, whose popularity ratings are at around 30 percent, though with a smaller margin than Strauss-Kahn enjoyed when he was still in the running.
Sarkozy has yet to formally announce a re-election bid, but has already begun making regular campaign-style visits; no other serious challenger has emerged from within his right-wing UMP party.
Author: Dagmar Breitenbach (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Michael Lawton