Nine months
after he took office, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's popularity has
slumped - and part of the reason is the nation's new First Lady. The
French intelligentsia is worried that Sarkozy's high profile courtship
and marriage to the glamorous supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni has
distracted him from the affairs of state.
He faces his first test very soon. A verdict on Sarkozy's policies - or
the lack of them - and implicit comment on whether his choice of wife
has damaged his and his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party's
reputation will be delivered when the French vote on March 9 and 16 in
the municipal elections.
"It's a joke," said Catherine, 37, a Paris-based journalist. "Policies?
What policies?" Images of Sarkozy entwined with his amour on holiday in
Egypt, for instance, were received particularly badly in view of
inflation and the struggles of ordinary people to make ends meet.
This "profoundly conservative" nation, to quote former president Jacques
Chirac, where feminism is still muted, also takes issue with the idea of
a First Lady who doesn't fade into the background.
Centrist politician François Bayrou in a televised debate referred to
Sarkozy's "display of luxury" as evidence of how he has jarred on the
national mood.
The first couple has also upset international sensibilities. It was
decided Bruni would not, after all, accompany Sarkozy on a visit to
India in January because of protocol difficulties since the couple was
not then married.
Meanwhile, surveys carried out shortly after Sarkozy married Bruni on
February 2, found his approval had fallen to its lowest since he was
elected in May 2007. Pollster IPSOS said that his approval ratings had
fallen to 39 per cent compared with 64 per cent in September 2007.
Bruni has acknowledged she appeared to be a distraction, but insisted
that in reality she is not. "I don't think the happiness of a man
impairs his efficiency," she said in her recent interview with magazine
'L'Express', the first since she became the First Lady. "I think it's
the display of happiness as a president that harms his image... People
think rightly that a president's work should be carried out 24 hours out
of 24 hours. I can tell you he is like that. However, he does need a
share of normality, as we all do, even if it's a very tiny share."
Historically, France's first ladies have been unobtrusive and the
private life of the president has remained private. The press turned a
blind eye to the existence of former president François Mitterrand's
illegitimate daughter and never commented on the extra-marital affairs
of others in high office even if virtually everyone was aware of them.
The objection now is that Sarkozy has put his feelings centre stage. His
version of events is that he did not want to lie, so after divorcing his
previous wife, Cecilia, in October last year, he made no secret of his
relationship with Bruni, whom he met in November and married three
months later.
"There's a difference between not lying and flaunting it," said
Catherine. The style of the president and his First Lady to a degree
depends on the individuals. "First Lady doesn't mean anything. It's
whatever you want it to mean. It depends on the personality," said
Danielle Mitterrand, wife of François Mitterrand.
But there are parameters. News and celebrity magazine, 'Paris Match',
commissioned a survey of 954 people aged more than 18 on what they
thought of Bruni and how she should broach her new life. Fifty-one
percent of those questioned on February 7 and 8 thought Bruni elegant
and 39 per cent considered her modern. They nevertheless took an
old-fashioned view that her task was to complement the president, rather
than pursue her own career. Asked about her role, 54 per cent wanted
Bruni to take part in humanitarian/charity work, while 44 per cent
wanted her to attend traditional-style official receptions.
Bruni is working on her third record, scheduled for release in August.
After that, she said she would continue to write music, but did not
expect to make any more recordings until after her husband left office.
Royalties from the new record will be given to a good cause and, perhaps
mindful of the criticisms of tactless displays of luxury, she has
resorted to soft-peddling her immense privileges. "I'm 40 years old. I'm
normal, serious, aware, straightforward, even if I'm privileged," said
the Italian-born, French-educated daughter of a concert pianist and
step-daughter of an industrialist and classical composer.
Moving on from numerous high-profile affairs, including being named as
the "other woman" in the break-up of rock star Mick Jagger and
supermodel Jerry Hall, Bruni said she hopes to be married for life to
Sarkozy and, as First Lady, says she will take the job very seriously.
Known for her left-wing politics until she fell in love with a
right-wing president, Bruni maintains she has not forgotten how to think
and sees challenging his views as part of her task. "You can talk with
Nicolas, who likes discussion and contradiction," she said.
Some in France cannot hide their incredulity. "Ok, so a young girl of 16
might talk in this idealized way of her boyfriend, but a 40-year-old
woman who has had a lot of experience in love... it's enough to make you
sick," exclaimed one critic on 'Rue89.com', a French website for
political and cultural debate.
More measured commentators are also unconvinced about the extent of the
new First Lady's power. "When Sarkozy's wife, Cecilia, demanded a
divorce and walked out last year, it was a sea change: from now on, a
premiere dame could be modern, no longer a submissive wife," wrote
Angelique Chrisafis, France correspondent with Britain's 'Guardian'
newspaper. But then she swiftly added, "...in reality, the job is still
steeped in tradition and public opinion can easily turn."
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Nine months
after he took office, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's popularity has
slumped - and part of the reason is the nation's new First Lady. The
French intelligentsia is worried that Sarkozy's high profile courtship
and marriage to the glamorous supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni has
distracted him from the affairs of state.