FRANCE: CANDIDATES TRY TO ROUSE VOTERS ON LAST DAY OF CAMPAIGNING BEFORE FIRST ROUND OF COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Record ID: 328746

  • Title: FRANCE: CANDIDATES TRY TO ROUSE VOTERS ON LAST DAY OF CAMPAIGNING BEFORE FIRST ROUND OF COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
  • Date: 17th April 2002
  • Summary: (W5) LILLE, FRANCE (APRIL 18, 2002) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 1. WS: CHIRAC SUPPORTERS CHEERING 0.06 2. VARIOUS OF JACQUES CHIRAC WALKING THROUGH CROWD (3 SHOTS) 0.33 3. WS: AUDIENCE LISTENING TO CHIRAC 0.39 4. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) JACQUES CHIRAC, CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT SAYING: "If you, like me, and with me, want a different way of governing, you must take the means, you must give me the means." 0.55 5. MV/WS: SUPPORTERS CHEERING (2 SHOTS) 1.01 6. MV: CHIRAC RECEIVING SUPPORTERS ON PODIUM, KISSING AND WAVING 1.13 (W5) RENNES, FRANCE (17 APRIL 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 7. VARIOUS OF LIONEL JOSPIN SUPPORTERS (2 SHOTS) 1.20 8. SV/SCU: JOSPIN WALKING THROUGH CROWD (SHORTLY AFTER BEING SQUIRTED WITH TOMATO KETCHUP) (2 SHOTS) 1.34 9. PAN SUPPORTERS WITH BANNERS 1.40 10. CLOSE OF GIANT SCREEN SHOWING JOSPIN ARRIVING ON PODIUM/ PAN DOWN TO SUPPORTERS CHEERING 1.50 11. SV: JOSPIN SMILING ON PODIUM 1.55 12. PAN: SUPPORTERS CHEERING 2.05 13. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) LIONEL JOSPIN, SOCIALIST PRIME MINISTER SAYING: "At the time of the last days before the first round of the presidential elections, all the progressive men and woman of our country should remember, before making their decision, that it is the left, and in particular the socialist left, that has done and continues to do the great social reforms that later become accomplishments that [the right] reclaims for itself, without having effected them." 2.45 14. LV: SUPPORTERS CHEERING 2.49 15. PULL OUT: SUPPORTERS CLIMBING ONTO PODIUM, SURROUNDING JOSPIN 3.02 (W5) PARIS, FRANCE (18 APRIL 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 16. MV: SUPPORTERS WAITING FOR LE PEN TO ARRIVE 3.08 17. MV/SCU: LE PEN ARRIVING (2 SHOTS) 3.20 18. PAN: SUPPORTERS CHANTING 3.30 19. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN MARIE LE PEN, NATIONAL FRONT LEADER SAYING: "From Paris to Kinshasa, from Quebec to Cambodia, from Martinique to Noumea, from Wallis and Futuna to the Reunion, this francophone community will create a francophone cinematography, a francophone Internet network, an industry of francophone books, a French culture that will be a principle and not an exception. A francophone economic zone with francophone preferences, a francophone air company. I would like that French youths become the ambassadors of this big project." 4.11 20. MV; SUPPORTERS WAVING FLAGS 4.16 21. LV: CROWD CHANTING, CONFETTI FALLING ON PODIUM 4.23 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 2nd May 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, RENNES AND LILLE, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVABO7Q621URS7G3CWKFM19YJ425
  • Story Text: After two months of lacklustre presidential campaigning
    which has stirred very little excitement among voters,
    candidates in France's Presidential election are desperately
    urging supporters to get out and vote in Sunday's first round.



    The campaign ends at midnight on Friday (April 19)
    and the main contenders, President Jacques Chirac and his
    challenger Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, have been trying to
    promote French voters from a sense of apathy.

    The latest surveys show that 60 percent of the people polled
    had no interest in the campaign and three quarters said they could
    see no difference between the two main candidates.

    But a striking feature of the campaign has been the
    rightwing leader Jean Marie Le Pen's surprising climb in the
    opinion polls, to as high as 14 percent, putting him within
    striking distance of Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
    slipping to 18 percent and President Chirac to 20 percent.

    The two leading candidates have traded bitter attacks with
    threats and accusations, hoping to stir-up interest among
    France's bored voters.

    Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said, "All the progressive
    men and woman of our country should remember, before making
    their decision, that it is the left, and in particular the
    socialist left, that has done and continues to do the great
    social reforms that later become accomplishments that (the
    right) reclaims for itself, without having effected them."
    Incumbent President Jacques Chirac put pressure on Jospin,
    his main rival by implying he had allowed the far right to
    gain ground. But President Chirac has also promised to cut
    taxes and crack down on crime which have given him a very
    narrow lead just two days before the first round.

    Jospin issued a blunt warning of labour unrest if he loses
    the
    race to Chirac. He seized on a general strike in Italy on
    Tuesday as an example of the sort of industrial woes he said
    awaited France if his conservative rival was elected to serve
    for five more years.

    Failing to see the difference between the front-runners,
    polls show almost a third of French voters may abstain on
    Sunday (April 21), far more than the previous record of 22
    percent no-shows. Protest voting may also flourish. Three
    Trotskyites are running, led by veteran campaigner Arlette
    Laguiller with about 10 percent support.

    Sunday's will be the first of four voting rounds to choose
    France's government for the next five years. Once the
    president is chosen on May 5, the French still have to vote on
    June 9 and 16 for a new National Assembly.



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