by Jessica Reed
With the first round taking place this week-end, the French elections are quickly approaching.
have written about French presidential Sarkozy in the blog before. His connections in the media world are well known, and recently highlighted on Andrew Sullivan's blog [via Wikipedia]:
[Sarkozy] has been known to threaten the press over articles he didn’t like (Libération) or to exact revenge when he has been embarrassed. When his wife, Cécilia, had a serious fling in New York last year, and the paparazzi caught up with her and her boyfriend, he called his friend Arnaud Lagardère, the owner of Paris Match, and Lagardère obligingly fired the editor-in-chief who had signed off on publishing the pictures. (Both men deny there was any pressure.)
Ok then - it can partly explain why centrist candidate Francois Bayrou has spent his entire campaign on the defensive, accusing the media of favouritism. Also on the upcoming elections: this article by the New Yorker, which will summarise everything you need to know about the competition opposing 'Sego and Sarko'.
