French election convulsion or how Sarkozy will play Armenian card

 April 23, 2012 - 22:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - This year outgoing French President Nicolas Sarkozy resolved to participate in mourning ceremony in commemoration of Armenian Genocide victims.

As independent journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net Sarkozy will deliver a speech at Memorial to Komitas and victims of Armenian Genocide in Paris, followed by a wreath laying ceremony.

An impression is created that Sarkozy resolved to oppose the famous proverb ‘there's no way to make up for lost time’, thus trying to win the votes of the French Armenian community.

The key intrigue implies the following: on April 22, two days before the Genocide Remembrance Day, presidential elections were held in France. Socialist Francois Hollande won most votes in the first round, estimates showed.

They suggest he got more than 28% of votes against about 26% for center-right incumbent Sarkozy.

No secret that the current French President counted on the Armenian community votes, with the whole performance titled “Adoption of the bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial” organized for the purpose.

Back in October 12, 2006, the French Nationally Assembly with 106 votes for and 19 against adopted a bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial. Then too, the draft law stipulated a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denied this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire. The bill passage, however, was followed by threats from Turkey and its younger brother Azerbaijan regarding breaking ties and freezing military, trade cooperation with France. Proposals to take “austerity measures” towards France were heard.

Then, too, Presidential Candidate Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to foster passage of the bill penalizing Armenian Genocide denial.

In May, 2007, Sarkozy was elected president of France with Armenian community members having backed his candidacy.

However, on May 4, 2008, French Senate with 196 votes against and 74 for blocked the Genocide bill passed by National Assembly in 2006.

The legislative saga of 2011-2012 developed almost the same way, too. In fall, 2011, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, now deprived of the Armenian community’s sympathy, threatened Turkey with adopting a bill criminating the Armenian Genocide denial if it doesn’t recognize the Armenian Genocide. This won back Armenian community’s sympathy with Sarkozy. On December 22, 2011, the French draft law criminating the Armenian Genocide negation was adopted by the French National Assembly.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill with 127 votes for and 86 against. If signed into law by the President, the bill would impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Pro-Turkish senators immediately addressed the Constitutional Council to consider the constitutionality of the bill. In response, Sarkozy pledged to raise the issue of constitutionality of the Holocaust bill. On February 29, the Council issued its ruling: unconstitutional. The French President hasn’t kept his promise up until now, though he has instructed to draft a new bill that would penalize the Armenian Genocide denial.

In contrast to the years of 2007-2006, this time the Armenian community didn’t believe in fairy tales that easily, especially given the fact that Sarkozy’s rival Francois Hollande also underscored the need to pass a bill penalizing Armenian Genocide negation. Armenians in France have probably realized that candidates’ pre-election pledges remain unfulfilled.

However, Nicolas Sarkozy has decided to play the Armenian card up to the end. For this reason, for the first time in his term of office he decided to partake in the event dedicated to the 97th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. With second round of French presidential elections due May 6, Sarkozy doesn’t give up hopes to win the half a million votes of the French Armenian community.