Transatlantic Poltics

I've been following the election in France. Who is going to win? Is the next president a man or a woman? Are they voting for a right wing male president or a woman representing the leftists in France? The second round is all about Ms. Royal or Mr. Sarkozy. The hard-liner Sarkozy did win the first round with a margin. The second round is going to be tight. There is not a clear idea about the final outcome.

I was reading the blog Transtlantic Politics and according to an FT-poll , "the Brits, Germans, Italians and Spaniards are even more Socialist than the French - or maybe they just wish them 'well'. All of these groups support Ms. Segolene Royal from Socialist Party over the current front-runner from the center-right, Nicolas Sarkozy."

According to The Economist, Sarkozy seems to be the only chance of reform France has left:

"Mr Sarkozy is the only candidate who seems both to have understood the urgency of reform and to have the abrasiveness to stand a chance of carrying it out. A political outsider, who fought his way to the top of the Gaullist party through hard work and cunning, he remains fearless in the face of opposition. Anticipating resistance, his advisers are already working on a draft of the law on minimum service, so as to curb the effectiveness of strikes."