Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Voters Across France Cast Ballots Today
Aired May 05, 2002 - 09:07 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Voters across France are casting their ballots in today's critical runoff election. Observers say it's an almost certain victory for the president there but his opponent gave France a national scare when he qualified for the runoff.
Jean Marie Le Pen's ultra-right wing views include anti-semitism and racism. More on today's voting now from CNN's Robin Oakley in Paris. Robin, how's it going?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the voters are certainly turning out to the polls today in rather greater numbers than they did in that first round two weeks ago. Since that first round we've seen a lot of protests on the streets against Mr. Le pen and his extremist policies.
Now voters are being put to the test with Jaques Chirac, the current president saying that for the sake of France's good name and history, Le Pen must not be given a good vote. Mr. Chirac went out to cast his own vote early today in Perrez, in central France where he has a home. Mr. Le Pen has also cast his vote already. The crucial thing about this election really is not the result.
Everybody is expecting Jaques Chirac to win because even the left wingers who haven't got a candidate in this second round of the election, reluctantly putting their support behind Jaques Chirac. What really matters is the margin of his victory. People are saying if Jean Marie Le Pen on his extremist platform of racism and wanting to get out of the European Union gets more than 25 percent of the vote, then that will continue to shake up French politics.
The opinion polls are suggesting Jaques Chirac can win by margin of about 80 percent to 20 percent, but of course the opinion polls didn't get it right in the first round of these elections when there were 16 candidates and when Mr. Le pen, thanks partly to people who stayed away from the vote, succeeded in driving out the Lionel J'oshpen (ph), the socialist prime minister and finishing his political career in the process -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. So clearly, at least it seems we're headed for a landslide here with Chirac at the top of this, but at the end of the day Le Pen has gotten an awful lot of mileage out of this. I know he's tried to run before. This is the first time he's been viewed with as much interest outside of France and with as much seriousness. I'm curious, does he remain a voice in the government presumably as Chirac continues on?
OAKLEY: Well, it continues -- depends entirely what sort of vote Le Pen attracts in this second round. We've got parliamentary elections taking place in about a month's time. A comparatively good showing for Le Pen in these elections, in this presidential election, will boost the prospects for his party, the National Front, in the parliamentary election. At the moment they don't have any seats in the Parliament. Le Pen hopes he will win one and at least a dozen others will, virtually whatever vote he gets today -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Robin, help us as an outsider, here. To what extent is this purely fringe and a fringe group which was able to sneak up on an apathetic populous and voting constituency and to what extent does Mr. Le Pen's views reflect some deep-seeded discontent in France?
OAKLEY: I don't think his views really are representative of the French people. To some extent he sneaked up on the establishment here because having conservative president and a socialist prime minister meant that their programs move together into the soggy center and Le Pen appeared to have a strong and decided voice compared to the serious people running against him.
But what he has done, I think, is articulate the feeling of a lot of the French people that the political class just aren't listening to them particularly with their concerns about crime and a possible connection between crime and higher immigration in France. Mr. Le Pen articulated those fears in a way that the main stream politicians have failed to do.
And a lot of people are criticizing the French political class saying that the technocrats are not in touch with the people. Pen has been able to capitalize on that. But I don't think the French people espouse his views. They simply wanted to give a kick to the establishment and say listen to us a little bit more -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Robin Oakley in Paris. Thank you very much for your insights.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
