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How Do the French Pick Their President?

Aired March 12, 2002 - 14:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Voters in France faced difficult decisions in upcoming presidential elections. That choice was complicated by a crowded field of candidates. Jim Bittermann now with some insights into French politics, and reports on their role in picking the next president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was former French President Charles de Gaulle who complained about the impossibility of governing a country with so many different kinds of cheeses, with so much individuality. And now, that same trait has prompted nearly two dozen people to try to become the big cheese, the president of France.

Never before have there been so many candidates handshaking their way across the country. The main ones, of course, the current president and his newfound adversary, the prime minister. But also: ecologists, feminists, and communists, candidates from the extreme right and candidates from the extreme left. There is a hunter representing hunters and a postman who has become something of a star by advocating a four-day work week and legalized marijuana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We don't even agree with the idea of being president. It's anti-democratic, for instance, when one person has a finger on the nuclear button. And when you see some of the candidates, it's not very reassuring.

BITTERMANN: Of course, not all candidates will be officially certified. To do that, a hopeful must present petitions signed by 500 elected officials. Mayors, for instance, of which France has more than 36,000. But it's worth the shot, because a candidate who does get his or her name on the ballot automatically is eligible for a $140,000 advance from the government to pay campaign expenses, and up to $13.5 million in matching funds to pay for their headquarters and other costs.

But, whatever their reason for throwing their berets into the ring, all of those candidates make it a virtual certainty that no one will win a majority of votes, enough to become president, on the first round of the elections.

(on camera): A little for the green candidate, a little for the red. When you look at the public opinion polls and start dividing things up, you realize that so many people are taking a bite out of the electoral cheese that whoever does win the presidency after the final run-off elections on May 5th will have to admit that he or she was the first choice of less than 1/4 of the French electorate.

No real shock, though, since it's long been said here that, just as with their cheeses, the French make their first selection based on emotion, and the second based on more serious concerns. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

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