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France: Royal Campaign Demonizes Leading Candidate Sarközy for "Hard Right" Views

By Gudrun Schultz

PARIS, France, May 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - France's leading contender in the coming election, Nicolas Sarközy, has been targeted by his key rival Ségolène Royal in a vicious attempt to instill fear in voters over his "dangerous" and "hard Right" policies, reported The Times earlier today.

Mirroring the savage smear campaign waged by Jean Chretien's Liberals against then-Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day in Canada's 2000 federal election, Royal's tactics follow a pre-set pattern of painting socially conservative candidates as would-be tyrants dangerous to the peace of the nation.

Jean Chretien's 2000 campaign team focused their assault on Day's evangelical beliefs, openly mocking him as a religious extremist seeking to impose his views on the nation. The campaign was largely successful--Chretien won--but it appears to be a challenge to pull off a similar victory in France.

With recent polls showing Sarközy in a strong lead, the intensity of Royal's campaign has approached a frenzied tone of desperation. Denouncing the conservative leader for the "great violence" and "brutality" of his campaign, which she said was frightening voters, Royal has contrasted her "France at peace with itself" with Sarközy's "France of the hard Right."

"Sarközy embodies a hard radicalized Right…with all its fears and hates. Entrusting the presidency to a demagogue like this means real danger," Royal supporters declared yesterday.

The battle for voter support in the election has polarized along key social issues, with Royal promising to legalize homosexual 'marriage' and introduce euthanasia, while Sarközy has taken a firm position supporting traditional family on the basis of the needs of children and has publicly rejected legalizing euthanasia.

While opposed to the introduction of homosexual 'marriage,' Sarközy nevertheless does not believe homosexuality is morally problematic.  In a recent interview with Liberation newspaper, the center-right leader called it "shocking" that the Catholic Church regards "homosexuality is a sin." He added, "One does not choose one's identity."

Sarközy has nearly two-thirds the voter support of Royal, according to the latest poll conducted Sunday by CSA--65 percent of those questioned said Sarközy was "solid" compared to only 24 percent for Royal.

On questions of personality and charm, however, the socialist leader came in well ahead of Sarközy with 57 percent rating her likeable, compared to only 29 percent for the conservative candidate.

Royal's campaign planners are exploiting that advantage with everything they've got. Historian Max Gallo, one-time spokesman for the late President Mitterrand, said, "I cannot thing of any other case of a politician being excreted like this since the hatred of opponents of de Gaulle."

Read The Times coverage:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1728912.ece

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

No Gay "Marriage" or Adoption says French Presidential Hopeful Sarközy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/sep/06090803.html

France Presidential Hopeful Royal Promises to Legalize Euthanasia
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07022001.html

Attacks Against Party Leader's Christianity Continue
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/nov/001117b.html

W-5 SMEAR CAMPAIGN SEEN AS FOILED ATTACK ON STOCKWELL DAY
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/nov/00110703.html

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