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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mani1 who wrote (145951)	4/23/2002 1:42:46 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575721

Voter turnout was 72%. Problem was not voter turnout. Apparently, the French do not consider 72% high voter turnout. See article below: ____________________________________________________________ Front Page: BBC News Tuesday, 23 April, 2002, 04:58 GMT 05:58 UK French fury at Le Pen intensifies About 10,000 protesters turned out in Lille Police in Paris have fired tear gas at violent protesters after some 100,000 people demonstrated across France against the shock election success of far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. Mr Le Pen came second in the first round of the presidential vote on Sunday, beating off the left's favourite, Lionel Jospin, to reach the final run-off against the conservative incumbent, Jacques Chirac. The Front National (FN) leader has been in exuberant mood, daring Mr Chirac to meet him face-to face in an election debate. Mr Jospin's Socialists and the other main parties of the left have called on their supporters to back Mr Chirac on 5 May in a concerted effort to defeat the far-right challenger. In the Bastille area of Paris some protesters smashed windows and hurled bottles at police on Monday evening after an anti-Le Pen rally attended by about 10,000 people. Elsewhere in France, placards reading "I am ashamed" were hoisted in cities from Lille in the north to Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast. Banners denounced Mr Le Pen, who earned notoriety for his remarks on the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews and his staunch opposition to immigration. "We must say no to Le Pen in the streets, every day," said Jose Bove, the prominent anti-globalisation activist, at a march of 12,000 demonstrators in the western city of Tours. "Mussolini: 1922. Hitler: 1933. Le Pen: never" was the cry at a rally in the eastern city of Strasbourg. One young demonstrator in Paris spoke of her anguish on hearing of Mr Le Pen's success. "I am crying and everybody thinks I am crazy, and I must be because Le Pen has gone through," she told French radio. Challenge Mr Chirac has called on voters to rally around him to preserve the unity of the republic and respect for human rights. Jean-Marie Le Pen Born in 1928 in the Brittany town of La Trinite-sur-Mer Set up the National Front in 1972. In 1987 he described the Holocaust as a "detail of history" Wants 200,000 new prison places, the abolition of inheritance tax and a renegotiation of European treaties But the FN leader has been relishing his chance to take on the incumbent president, pledging to end what he calls a "decadent and corrupt system". He challenged Mr Chirac to a television debate, quipping that the conservative candidate "believes he's a god of Olympia and doesn't want to debate with a mere mortal". Outlining his policies, Mr Le Pen appeared to compare the European Union with the late USSR and predicted that France might disappear under the weight of immigration. In presidential style, he also commended the defeated Socialist leader for announcing his retirement from politics. "I think we must praise the noble gesture of Mr Jospin, who drew the conclusions from his failure," he said. Jospin's fall The Communist and Green parties have joined the Socialists in backing Mr Chirac for the next round. "Jacques Chirac is our adversary in the democratic arena but Jean-Marie Le Pen is a danger for the republic," said Socialist Party chairman Francois Hollande. That is what democracy is all about - if M Le Pen does not work out then the people can have their say in five years' time Mr Le Pen himself appeared to concur with analysts trying to explain Mr Jospin's shock defeat. He put it down to the "dispersal of the forces of the left". Voters had to choose between 16 candidates, many of whom were leftist rivals to Mr Jospin. With Mr Jospin due to quit on 5 May, Mr Hollande is set to lead the party into the June parliamentary election. A lacklustre campaign by the main candidates culminated in a record low turnout on Sunday, with nearly 30% staying at home or leaving town to enjoy the warm weather. Mr Chirac, 69, has been damaged by persistent sleaze allegations, while Mr Jospin, 64, a stiff former professor, was seen as honest but dull. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------