KAD-13 Kay Dilday is an Institute Fellow studying relationships of the French and North African ICWA immigrants in France – and North Africa. The Ascendance of : letters A Sixth Republic?

Since 1925 the Institute of Current By K.A. Dilday World Affairs (the Crane-Rogers August 2007 Foundation) has provided long-term fellowships to enable outstanding –It was one of the highest turnouts in France’s recent history followed by young professionals to live outside one of the lowest turnouts in recent history. Perhaps it’s because the battle for the the United States and write about identity of modern France was at stake in the country’s Spring-2007 presidential international areas and issues. An election that so many cast ballots. The parliamentary election that drew such a exempt operating foundation low turnout a month later was largely a codicil to that primary battle for identity. endowed by the late Charles R. In essence, the presidential candidates had to answer a fundamental question: Crane, the Institute is also supported could the republic continue much as it had, with the belief that France had gotten by contributions from like-minded it right 50 years ago when Charles de Gaulle shaped it? In electing Nicolas Sar- kozy, the people agreed that it could not. individuals and foundations. In the two months since Nicolas Sarkozy became president with the support of almost half of the French electorate, he has wowed France and the rest of the world. (Mr. Sarkozy won just over 53 percent of the vote with an 85 percent voter TRUSTEES turnout. Thus, 45 percent of France’s eligible voters selected him.) His ferocious Bryn Barnard pace of activity is something new for France, but the rainbow, bipartisan cabinet Carole Beaulieu he selected is extraordinary in the world. By contrast, a month after Mr. Sarkozy Mary Lynne Bird unveiled his cabinet, Gordon Brown, his newly ascendant counterpart in Britain, Steven Butler selected his senior team and did not include any people of color. Virginia R. Foote Peter Geithner Mr. Sarkozy’s wide net has caused angry ripples in both the left and his own Gary Hartshorn party, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Unnamed UMP members Pramila Jayapal grumbled to the press about Mr. Sarkozy bypassing the party’s old guard and Robert A. Levinson bright young things to choose newcomers and outsiders. Socialist party members Cheng Li howled because he cherry-picked the party’s superstars, further hobbling the al- David Z. Robinson ready struggling party. Yet Mr. Sarkozy’s actions have compelled many people to John Spencer take a second look at a man they once reviled. His consideration of race, religion Susan Sterner and sex in compiling his streamlined cabinet — it is half the size of former presi- Edmund Sutton dent ’s team — is his clear signal that something is amiss in the ba- Boris Weintraub sic foundations of the Fifth Republic, which holds as one of its bedrock principles a systemic ignorance of the race, religion or sex of its citizens. HONORARY TRUSTEES David Elliot Five years earlier, when the far-right candidate, Jean Marie le Pen of the Na- David Hapgood tional Front, polled ahead of the Socialist candidate in the first round of the 2002 Edwin S. Munger presidential elections, it became clear that France was longing for a change in Richard H. Nolte status quo. Yet their derring-do in putting le Pen one round away from the presi- Albert Ravenholt dency scared most of France. Although the incumbent president, Jacques Chirac, Phillips Talbot the center right UMP party candidate was unpopular, the French rushed to the polls to vote for him to affirm that they were not a far-right nation. But French people still want change. The country is undulating wildly within its current pa- rameters. Few agree how to address the pulsations. All agree that the pangs are Institute of Current World Affairs painful. But will they be debilitating or growing pains? The Crane-Rogers Foundation 4545 42nd Street N.W., Suite 311 Washington, D.C. 20016 In a reversal of traditional ideas about liberals and conservatives, the estab- lishment left, in the form of the Socialist Party, clung most strongly to the status quo during the election season. Their candidate, Segolene Royal, campaigned as guardian of France’s traditional values, among them: go gave the strongest reason for supporting Ms. Royal big government, worker’s rights, and systemic blind- saying that she, “had a rapport with the people,” but he ness to race and religion. Nicolas Sarkozy ran and won reserved most of his words for Sarkozy, “He’s too bru- as the 21st-century candidate, promising all manner of tal, too radical and too sectarian.” Marithe, a 40-year-old change to sclerotic labor rules, tax laws, hiring practic- biracial French woman in trendy glasses, arrived on a es, immigration laws and judicial practices. In short, he bicycle to help count ballots (the right of any citizen). “I promised to remake the country. don’t like Sarkozy,” she said. “Segolene is a woman. She has power but remains human.” On the day the presidency was decided, May 6, I spent the morning at a polling station in the 18th arrondisse- As I walked the streets of Aubervilliers in the ear- ment, a mixed quarter, went on to one in Aubervilliers, ly evening en route to a polling station, I passed deso- a banlieue with large number of people of immigrant late courtyards of large housing complexes and a Chi- origin, and finished the evening at Mr. Sarkozy’s victory nese couple who stopped their car and angrily stalked celebration at Place de la Concorde in France’s wealthy 8th around looking to see who had thrown something — a arrondissement at 8:15 p.m. That was just after the 8:00 bottle perhaps — at their car. I passed women in full closing time for the polls, which is also the moment when djellaba and burkas, phalanxes of police vans waiting in the election authorities announce the projected winner. case of riots (a predicted outcome by Segolene Royal if Mr. Sarkozy won) until I finally found the polling sta- At 9 a.m. in the 18th arrondissement, a slow but tion I’d picked out. It’s a marked difference from Paris, steady trickle of people made their way into the polling which is small and vibrant. But in the suburbs, just a few station. The 18th precinct has a diverse socio-economic miles out, I’ve learned that routes that look easily walk- mix. It has the trendy popular quarter Montmartre, now able on a map often involve long, barren stretches. Deso- always advertised as “Amelie’s neighborhood” as well late streets are common, and the polling station I picked as Chateau Rouge, which is known as “little Africa” for required that I walk a long, sparsely populated one. I its number of immigrants from Northern and sub-Saha- mention this not because it was difficult or frightening, ran Africa. but because the contrast between the two environments is so stark. Aubervilliers is still urban. But movement, Voting day in France is always a Sunday morning. for a youth, or anyone, from one part of the neighbor- At 9:30 the first trickle of people were elderly, men and hood to another or to inner Paris, isn’t easy. women on their own, walking slowly but determinedly toward the polls. A goodly number of those who fol- The trickle of people at the poll though was the same lowed were fairly young though, people in their 20s and in Aubervilliers as in the 18th arrondissement: slow but early 30s. I talked to a range of people; only two said steady. As I was leaving Paris for Aubervilliers, a Bel- they had voted for Mr. Sarkozy. Surprisingly, they were gian television station was reporting that Mr. Sarkozy also the youngest people I talked to, women of 20 and had won. But the people still came to vote; one wom- 22. They had come together and they didn’t want to give an screeched up in a car, parked illegally and ran in to their names but told me they voted for Mr. Sarkozy be- cast her ballot. When the trickle slowed to an infrequent cause he would best represent France in the internation- drip, I walked back past the police vans poised for riots al arena. “She can’t connect,” they said about Ms. Royal. and took the metro to Place de la Concorde for presi- dent-elect Nicolas Sarkozy’s victory celebration. At 8:00, The people who voted for Segolene Royal ex- the hour the polls close, elections authorities announced pressed strong opinions about Mr. Sarkozy and their the projected winner. French polling authorities rely on dislike of him or his party but spoke mostly of Sarkozy key polling stations to decipher, with near certainty, the or seemed to have supported Ms. Royal reflexively victor. because they had always voted Socialist. None of the people I spoke to expressed a reason for voting for Se- At 8:15 the Place de la Concorde was just beginning golene Royal that had anything to do with her political to fill. Mr. Sarkozy was speaking from the UMP party position or qualifications. “She’s a woman,” two people headquarters. His face was broadcast on huge screens to gave as a reason. Most people spoke in generalities. “It’s time for a change,” one man told me. “I’m tired of the right — they’ve been in too long.” A Tunis-born man, who moved to France 13 years earlier, told me he Harry Roselmack, voted for Segolene in both rounds and admitted that the first black he didn’t really know why. The ballots are collected by anchor of French hand — people are given two slips of paper, each has network news, a candidate’s name on it. Then they put their selected reports from the candidates name in the box. A Togo-born woman who Sarkozy’s victory showed me the ripped, crumpled-up ballot for Sarkozy celebration, Place told me she voted for Segolene Royal because “we must de la Concorde have a change.” Michel, a 50-year-old man born in Con-  KAD-13 At the National Front Rally a few days before the election: Skin heads and “proud” French the gathering crowd. I was surprised at the diversity of men who had come in from Cergy, two had - the crowd, all of France’s hues seemed to be represented: born parents, one’s parents were from . At their small groups of beurs, 20-ish young white people in Sar- feet was a half-closed backpack with a bottle of alco- kozy t-shirts, a man who appeared to be of North African hol and a bottle of soda. “Did you vote for Sarkozy?” I origin walking alone with his little girl on his shoulders. asked them. “He did,” two said pointing at their third, who then took out his voter’s card to show me that he In earlier years, Mr. Sarkozy’s support for positive had voted in both rounds. discrimination and his active involvement in organizing the Muslim council had won him supporters in the black “Why Sarkozy?” I asked. and beur communities. That changed drastically at the end of 2005 when in a fit of anger people threw bottles “I don’t know,” he answered. at him in the suburbs. He resolved to clean the streets of “racaille,” a word that means something between rabble “Why are you here at the celebration?” I asked them. and scum. His popularity continued to decline when he introduced tougher immigration policies, specifically “This is our future,” they said. targeted at family reunification rights. Two other brown men used almost exactly those But even in Seine St. Denis where the young beur words to me, after first refusing to talk. As I walked away anti-Sarkozy forces mobilized the youth, Mr. Sarkozy still they stopped me. “We’re here because this is France.” received 35 percent of the vote. A French journalist friend said that many women whom he spoke to in Clichy Sous As the square filled it became impossible to hear Bois, told him they were planning to vote for Sarkozy. anyone. I walked toward the exit and watched an or- “They wanted order,” he said. His encounters were very derly trickle of people being admitted to the VIP section, different from mine. No one in the banlieue had ever ad- where presumably Mr. Sarkozy would meet his sup- mitted support for Sarkozy to me. I had come to believe porters. The people filing in there were all white and if that the legend of significant support for Mr. Sarkozy they carried anything, carried bottles of champagne and among black and brown voters was a mirage created not in rucksacks. by the party, like the ads the Nationalist Front Party ran showing brown and black supporters this election season. Since his election, Mr. Sarkozy has been moving at At the mass National Front rally I went to in central Paris such a speedy pace that the French magazine, Le Point, a week or so before the election, there were no people of asked: “Sarkozy: is he doing too much?” The French color. There were hundreds of skinheads, some lean goth- intelligentsia often prefers vigorous debate to action. looking men, well-decorated older veterans and young The backlash over the hyperkinetic president’s running families. I finally spied a black man and then noticed that, start spilled onto his most spectacular hires: the highest like me, he carried a pad and pen — he was a journalist ranking woman of African ancestry in his cabinet, jus- on fellowship from the Congo. “Have you seen any black tice minister, Rachida Dati, who served as Mr. Sarkozy’s people?” I asked. “No,” he said. At the rally Mr. Le Pen spokesperson during the campaign. A month into her angrily told his supporters to abstain from voting. He had appointment she suffered several blows. The media not made it into the second round and he believed Mr. reported that two of her ten brothers were on trial for Sarkozy had stolen some of his best moves with his tough drug charges. Three members of the Justice department stance on immigration and crime. quit, offering weak reasons for their departure, but pri- vately whispering that she was an authoritarian bully. But National Front-borrowed moves or not, Mr. Sar- The whisperers also claimed that she had never passed kozy’s rally was a different color. When I arrived people her exams to be a magistrate. One night on the evening were just beginning to fill the square. I met three young news, Ms. Dati was shown presenting her new law for INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS  tougher penalties for recidivist crimi- nically they were unemployed, but election, a reporter asked local youth nals; the next story showed her brother by their covert actions and location if they might riot out of anger. “We ri- at his hearing. He was given six months — they sat in their car in Les Oriels, a oted with these,” they said, brandish- probation and the papers quickly point- neighborhood known for drug sales — ing their voter registration cards. And ed out that under her new law, he would they were most likely dealers. “Politics a record number of Muslim candidates have automatically been imprisoned. mean nothing to me. It changes noth- ran for France’s lower Parliamentary Later in the summer I watched a news ing,” the most forthcoming, the son of house — the directly elected 577-per- report that showed brief footage as Mr. Turkish immigrants, said. I asked what son National Assembly. As usual none Sarkozy and others descended the steps they thought about Rachida Dati’s ap- were elected, but Ms. M’Faddel-Nti- of the Elysee. It seemed to serve no pointment. “Isn’t her brother in jail?” dam thinks it’s a good start. news purpose. However in it, Ms. Dati stumbled awkwardly on the steps. The Ms. Dati has assigned people to in- In the next months, Mr. Sarkozy is broadcast proceeded to the next piece vestigate discrimination in the justice scheduled to announce reforms to the without comment. Groups like SOS system. Other measures that take note constitution, in a move that hearkens Racisme have protested her abuse in of race are rippling across the govern- back to General Charles de Gaulle, the media, some UMP politicians have ment. In the banlieues people are proud who made significant changes to the come to her aid and her supporters are that three of their own — Ms. Dati and constitution once he was elected, thus dedicated and global. In Morocco, just Ms. Amara, grew up in crowded living creating the Fifth Republic. a few weeks after she was appointed, situations and Ms. Yade, like so many her appointment was prominently fea- banlieusards, emigrated from Africa France’s growing has been painful, tured in the local press. And even in the as a child — have made it good. But but the optimism is palpable. Les Fran- remote Atlas Mountains everyone knew those who watch Mr. Sarkozy are not caises of all hues and origin hope that her name. surprised at the diversity of his team. finally change is in the air. o More so than other French politicians, In addition to Ms. Dati, Mr. Sarkozy he has been willing to address the ex- appointed two other women of African clusion of a large segment of France’s ICWA Letters (ISSN 1083-4273) are origin to lesser cabinet positions: Fadé- population in its government. When, published by the Institute of Current la Amara, head of Ni Putes Ni Soumises as minister of interior, he commented World Affairs Inc., a 501(c)(3) exempt (Neither harlots nor doormats), a rights that there were no Muslim prefects operating foundation incorporated in group for women in the banlieues, and (local administrative heads) in the New York State with offices located Rama Yade, a -born 31-year-old country, President Chirac responded at 4545 42nd Street NW, Suite 311, who had worked as an administrator that it was not acceptable to nominate Washington, DC 20016. Letters are to the . In KAD-3, I discussed people on the basis of their origin. provided free of charge to members the politics of representation — the fo- Ms. M’Faddel-Ntidam, expressing her of ICWA and are available to libraries cus on the visibility of people who do support for her friend’s unofficial ap- and professional researchers on our not fit the old idea of France as a pale- plication of positive discrimination web site. skinned descendant of the Gauls. I (France’s term for what Americans call thought back to one of my first encoun- affirmative action) in transit authority Phone: (202) 364-4068 ters in France with Messaouda Sassi, a hiring and elsewhere said, “Isn’t it nor- Fax: (202) 364-0498 -based secretary who said that the mal for the person selling the tickets at E-mail: [email protected] left had been in power for 20 years and the station to look like the people in the Web site: www.icwa.org had never appointed a person of color. neighborhood?” She also said proudly She was talking about Azouz Begag’s that at the Dreux Hospital, where her Executive Director appointment as minister of integration. husband works as a surgeon, 30 to 40 Steven Butler In Dreux this summer, social worker percent of the staff has an immigrant Naima M’Faddel-Ntidam, who immi- background. Bookkeeper/Program grated to France from Morocco in 1968 Assistant: Jim Guy at the age of six, admitted she had been Despite his vilification, there is a against Mr. Sarkozy before the election. quiet optimism for Mr. Sarkozy’s presi- Publications Manager “I thought his policies were bad for dency in the newly politicized neigh- Ellen Kozak France.” Now she is very pleased with borhoods. There will always be those what she’s seen so far. “It’s very good like the drug dealers who’ve given up ©2007 Institute of Current World Af- for France,” she said with visible ex- hope, but the record voter turnout was fairs, The Crane-Rogers Foundation. citement about Adara, Yade and Dati’s due mostly to an increase in voting in appointments. the depressed banlieues. It indicated The Information contained in this that some people do believe they can publication may not be reprinted or But also in Dreux, I talked to two influence change through the political republished without the express writ- young men, neither of whom would process. Ms. M’Faddel-Ntidam proud- ten consent of the Institute of Current give their entire name. In their early ly recounted an anecdote she had read World Affairs. 20s, they had left school at age 16. Tech- in a Dreux paper. Immediately after the