"The moment of truth has arrived," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a large crowd of supporters in Nice on Friday in his final campaign speech prior to the first round of presidential elections on Sunday. More than for France, this is a moment of truth for Sarkozy, who is expected to advance to the second runoff round, but not beyond it. Socialist candidate Francois Hollande is leading "Sarko" by 10 points in the second round, according to various polls. In the first round, the polls give Hollande 30 percent as opposed to Sarkozy's 26.5 percent. The Palais de l'Elysee has not been inhabited by a socialist president since Francois Mitterand left it in 1995. Two terms for Jacques Chirac and one for Sarkozy have meant 17 consecutive years of presidency for the Right. That's a long time. Meanwhile, the Socialists have never looked so strong. Forecasters predict they will also win parliamentary elections in June, giving them total control of France. But Sarkozy, a true political animal, is not giving up. His strategy is to stage an upset against Hollande in both rounds, even though it's not clear that even he believes he stands a chance. Maybe that's why Sarkozy is shooting in all directions. On Friday, he lashed out against the ridiculous democratic rule that gives all 10 presidential candidates the same amount of media exposure. How is it that a marginal candidate like Jacques Cheminade, whose campaign platform includes building a thermonuclear corridor between the Earth and Mars, deserves the same amount of air time as the incumbent president, members of Sarkozy's campaign have wondered aloud. The French president is feeling so desperate that he even apologized, on the European RTL network, for his lack of humility after he won the presidency in 2007. He was referring to yacht excursions with multimillionaire friends as well as photographs of ostentatious vacations with his third and current wife, former model Carla Bruni. Sarkozi's mea culpa is uncharacteristic of a French president and reeks of desperation. Facing this wounded animal, Francois Hollande already feels himself to be France's next president. Hollande, the former first secretary of the Socialist party, is the life partner and father to the children of Segolene Royal, the previous Socialist presidential candidate, who was defeated five years ago. At this point, he would have to make a major blunder to lose. Hollande is perceived as someone who would look out for the middle class, while Sarkozy is viewed as the president of the wealthy. Well-known author Jean d'Ormesson told media over the weekend why he would be voting for Sarkozy after all. The respected man of letters said Sarkozy was the most worldly and serious of the candidates, the person best able to advance France's interests in Europe and the world. Even if German Chancellor Angela Merkel does not say so explicitly, she backs Sarkozy as well. Within the first round of elections there is another contest, between far-Right candidate Marine Le Pen and radical Left Communist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. Deep down both hope for a surprise upset, even though election-eve polls put them both at 14 percent. The final verdict will come on May 6, the day when runoff elections are set to be held. Still, Sarkozy is worried about Hollande's three-point advantage in the first round. He is well aware that the better he does today, the greater his chances of winning the election as a whole, even if those chances are slim.
