Last night was the night of the Big Face Off between the two remaining French candidates for the presidential election Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande
This widely watched debate is the last before the people of France go to the polls on Sunday next , 6th May. 5 years ago , it was between Sarkozy and Segolene Royale ( socialist) with Sarko making mince meat of Sego , going on to win the presidential election thereafter.
While we have come to know ( and love/hate) Sarko over the past few years, who is this Francois Hollande??
10 things you may not know about Mr Hollande
- He was born in 1954 and had a tough childhood under an authoritarian father
- He is Segolene Royale's ex husband - yes, the lady who came second in the last presidential race ... they split up just after the elections in 2007. How flipping small is this pool of presidential electorates anyway? He has four children from this marriage
- It transpired that he was having an affair with journalist Valerie Trierweiler from Paris Match
- He has never ever served in government. He has no experience whatsoever in running a county or holding a governmental position
- If it hadn't been for DSK's "indiscretions", we probably would be looking at a Sarko/Dominique Strauss Kahn debate ce soir
- His nickname is Flamby ( pudding or marshmallow)
- If he becomes president , he wants to put an end to Merkels "austerity policy"
- He proposes 75% tax for those with income over 1 million euros
- He normally gets to work on his own scooter and promises to be a " normal" president ( as opposed to Sarko who has been dubbed president Bling Bling)
- Even though , he is on the verge of becoming president, nobody really knows anything about him, his close friends and confidants saying that he has a mysterious side and is very private. No one really knows at all what kind of man he is and what kind of a president of the republic he will make....
Let the Debate commence : Bring in The Clowns! There ought to be clowns...