Meet Monsieur Caramel Pudding, likely French president
Understated, bespectacled and often clad in dull gray suits, he is nicknamed “Flanby” — after a popular brand of caramel pudding. Meet Francois Hollande, the likely next president of France.
Largely unknown outside his own country, he is ahead in opinion polls by five to 10 points against the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and is poised to become France’s first Socialist president since Francois Mitterrand, whom he served as an economic adviser.
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4-month presidential campaign with no television ads? Welcome to France!
While American presidential campaigns seem to last for years, the French campaign only lasts a few months from start to finish.
The differences between the two systems are significant. In France, candidates’ personal lives are not scrutinized to the degree that U.S. presidential hopefuls’ are and their time on radio or television is very closely monitored by a government agency. Ten staffers record and count every single minute that any one of the 10 presidential candidates is on air to ensure that every candidate receives equal time.
In France, there are no political television commercials. The only mass exposure for candidates is on network news and public affairs programs.
Image: Reuters/Philippe Wojazer
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Rehabilitated sea turtles return to the wild in Florida
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