Egyptians go to the polls in the country's first truly contested presidential election on Wednesday. With an array of candidates to choose from, voters will decide who's the best man to lead them through the last phase of the country's troubled democratic transition that began with Egypt's revolution in January last year. Cairo correspondents Kathryn Stapley and Sonia Dridi talked to some of the activists whose protests in Tahrir Square changed the course of Egypt's history.
The final slate of candidates for the French presidential election will soon be known. The Constitutional Council has until Friday to receive the 500 signatures from local officials, and until Monday to certify them. But for François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, the war is on, and the tactics seem clear: carpet bombing for Sarkozy who is pulling out new ideas almost everyday, and staying out of trouble for Hollande.
The French presidential race is in full swing. Sarkozy versus Hollande is the motto. But there is a second pack of contenders hoping to pull off an upset and get to the second round. One is Marine Le Pen, of course, whose father did it back in 2002. There is also François Bayrou, a centrist leader who scored 18% back in 2007 and, recently joining the group, Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the Leftist Front, a coalition comprising the Communist Party.
There are just over two months to go before round one of the presidential elections here in France. As things stand, the verdict is crystal clear: the next French president will be a Socialist by the name of François Hollande. He is riding high in the polls, out in front of outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy. But Sarkozy certainly relishes a challenge. Can he pull it off?
Marc Perelman speaks to Dominique Moïsi, Special adviser at the French Institute for International Relations in Paris. With a little more than two months to go before the presidential elections, can Nicolas Sarkozy still win despite trailing his Socialist rival François Hollande in the opinion polls?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy inched up against rival presidential contender Francois Hollande, a poll published Monday showed, less than one week after officially declaring his bid for a second term in office.
MEDIAWATCH, Tues. 1/2/2012: Several news websites are now using social media to determine the strength of candidates during election campaigns. How reliable are their methods though? We take a look at some examples. Meanwhile the old-fashioned opinion poll is still a popular feature in the media ahead of elections. It may be more tried and tested but it is not without its flaws.
When news broke that Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York on criminal sex charges, theories that the IMF chief had been set up began circulating in France.
While refusing to confirm if he will seek re-election in 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy has hinted at his candidacy in a long interview with the respected L’Express magazine that sets the political tone for his future campaign.
Armen Georgian interviews Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, Columnist with The Sunday Telegraph; Gregory Viscusi, Reporter with Bloomberg News; Stefan de Vries, RTL4 Correspondent in Paris; and Philip Turle, Journalist with Radio France International.
