PARIS (AA) -- French political experts have said it was too early to talk about Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential candidacy following the victory of his center-right alliance in Sunday's local elections.
Following Sunday's results, the alliance will head 67 local councils against 34 for the ruling Socialist Party (PS). The far-right National Front, or FN, failed to win a single department despite historically high scores at the local level.
While this undeniably constitutes a victory for the former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who orchestrated the alliance with the centrist Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), by no means does it give an indication on his chances in the 2017 presidential election, let alone on his candidacy.
"Sarkozy's victory in local elections in France is misleading," said Martial Foucault, director of political research at the Paris School of Political Science. "The voters are not satisfied with the current government.”
"It is too early to say Sarkozy's victory has paved the way for a victory in the future presidential election,” agreed Bruno Jerome, political expert at the ElectionScope Research Center.
Head of the Union for a Popular Movement since his return to politics in 2014, Nicolas Sarkozy faces stiff competition to become the right's candidate in the 2017 presidential election from his former prime minister Francois Fillon and his former foreign minister Alain Juppe, whose likeability numbers have been high even among traditionally left-wing voters.
The election results have also highlighted the weakness of the current Socialist government headed by Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
"They need to take action in an effective way. Create employment and reduces taxes," Martial Foucault said.
Bruno Cautres, political expert at the French National Research Center (CNRS), believes the "government has no choice. They need to reshuffle the cabinet.”
Cautres also added the government needed to take steps to provide real and tangible results in the economy. France has been plagued by a steady rise in unemployment since President Francois Hollande's election in 2012. Stagnant wages and a sharp rise in taxes, due to France's EU commitments, have contributed to countrywide voter discontent.
The discontent has also manifested itself in the continuous rise of National Front election after election.
"But I don’t think the National Front can govern the country," Cautres said.
Indeed, Marine Le Pen's movement generally finds itself isolated as parties from the right to the far-left have very publicly refused, and denounced, any type of alliance with the far-right party.
