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Monday, September 26, 2011

Left Takes the French Senate for the First Time Since 1958, Deals Blow to Sarkozy-Merkel Dreams of an Eternally Austerian EU

In this week-end's elections to the French Senate, the Left not only won but managed a larger victory than anybody expected. The Left has gained a majority in the Senate for the first time since the constitution of the Fifth Republic in 1958. How you like them apples? These days, electoral victories for the left in local and regional elections have been taking place here and there since Nicolas Sarkozy became president, and Senators are elected by a college almost entirely composed of such local elected officials. What was originally intended as a device to ensure a strong conservative bias and has functioned as such for generations has turned the tide to the Left. Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy is of course just seven months away from his own presidential election, and cannot be happy with this latest sign of a resurging left. I'm no expert on EU politics, but this Senate loss almost certainly seems to mean that Sarkozy will fail to get the two thirds vote he needs to impose the so-called "Golden Rule" he and Merkel have sought, attempting to anchor an austerity-compelling "balanced budget" amendment into the EU constitution.

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