Gonzo's French Update
Thanks to @Gonzo for writing this. While President de Villers seems unlikely on face value, it's interesting to see that the possiblity is greater than one may think had his career gone differently.
UNION FOR FRANCE WINS LANDSLIDE IN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS - BALLADUR SWORN IN AS PRIME MINISTER
-Le Figaro, 3/29/93
26 December 1994: France rocked by day of terror
France and the world are in a state of shock after an attack left over a thousand dead. Islamist terrorist hijacked Air France Flight 8969 on Christmas Eve at the Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers, Algeria where the terrorists killed three passengers and proceeded to hold out in a standoff until the plane left for metropolitan France on Christmas Day. With insufficient fuel to fly to Paris the flight stopped off in the early hours of the morning to refuel in Marseille before flying for Paris. While the original plans for the attack were to destroy the Eiffel Tower, a landmark of French culture, poor weather conditions and pilot error by the hijackers meant that the plane crashed into a field. A state of emergency has been declared in Paris, with France closing its airspace for several hours after the flight. French President has called the attack "an absolute tragedy" while French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua labeled it "an extraordinary and horrific feat."
-BBC News, "On This Day"
PASQUA VOWS 'REVENGE' FOR TERROR ATTACK
-Le Figaro, 12/30/94
LEADING UDF MEMBERS CRITICISE BALLADUR'S 'UNPREPAREDNESS' OVER AIR FRANCE
-Le Monde, 15/1/95
CULTURE MINISTER PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS ANNOUNCES BID FOR UDF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
-Le Figaro, 23/1/95
FRENCH PM BALLADUR RULES OUT PRESIDENTIAL BID
-The New York Times, 26/1/95
VGE RULES OUT ANOTHER RUN FOR PRESIDENCY - SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT UDF CANDIDATE
-Le Monde, 28/1/95
"I am the only politician who tells the French the truth about the Islamization of France [...] I do not think Islam is compatible with the French republic!"
-UDF Presidential candidate Philippe de Villiers, 3/2/95
SOCIALIST PRIMARY SEES JOSPIN VICTORY
-Le Figaro, 7/2/95
JOSPIN: 24%
DE VILLIERS: 20%
CHIRAC: 18%
-TNS SOFRES poll, 23/2/95
FRANCE'S KEYES: WHO IS PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS?
A traditionalist Catholic father of seven could become the new President of the French Republic if polling holds. De Villiers, a leading French politician who campaigned against the Maastricht Treaty in a referendum three years ago, is a jack of all trades. Initially a successful entrepreneur who founded the popular historical themed Puy du Fou theme park in his power base of Vendee, de Villiers is very much a product of the west-central French department of Vendee, famous for being the scene of the royalist rising against the First French Republic in 1793. A provincial politician he has steadily risen through the ranks of the centre-right Union for French Democracy (UDF) party since the mid-1970s to become Minister of Culture in Edouard Balladur's cabinet. While using the populist rhetoric of the hard-right, de Villiers, a protege of the right-wing liberal Defence Minister Francois Leotard, has insisted that he is a 'libertarian liberal'. Despite this, it appears that de Villiers an ephemeral conservative Catholic monarchist. Railing against xenophobic fears of loss of sovereignty and immigration, the aristocratic politician has found his support surging in recent months after the Paris attack of December last year. Current polling suggests he is a narrow favourite to make the runoff against Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin but is unlikely to win in a runoff.
-Time, 4/3/95
LE PEN BLEEDING SUPPORT TO DE VILLIERS IN LATEST SOFRES POLL
-Le Monde, 3/17/95
PPDA: "Which world leader do you admire the most?"
DE VILLIERS: "General de Gaulle naturally."
PPDA: "Living..."
DE VILLIERS: [Ponders for a second] "Viktor Anpilov then."
-Philippe de Villiers being interviewed by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor on TF1, 3/22/95
CANDIDATES SPAR IN CONTENTIOUS DEBATE; JOSPIN AND CHIRAC ATTACK 'EXTREMIST' DE VILLIERS AS UDF CANDIDATE RAILS AGAINST 'ESTABLISHMENT POLITICS'
-Le Figaro, 3/25/95
"The really concerning thing about this race is that the polling suggests that de Villiers' support is coming from both the right and left. Many voters who would normally have voted for the far-right National Front are naturally heading over to de Villiers' camp, yet he is also gaining a large amount of the Communist Party's base. In part this is as a result of the party running a reformist candidate in the form of Robert Hue who has annoyed the party base. On the other hand for much of its history the party has stoked fears of immigrants taking Frenchmen's jobs and homophobia in order to shore up its vote. This time around it seems to have hurt them quite badly. Ironically much of the UDF's base is not its traditional voter bloc, but rather a hodgepodge of assorted personae non grataes of the main parties."
-Pierre Salinger talking to NBC News, 4/2/95
CHIRAC ACCUSED OF MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS WHILE PARIS MAYOR
-Le Monde, 5/4/95
"We need to return to the traditional foreign policy of this Republic - putting France first. We've got ourselves into our current situation due to us giving power to an assortment of unpatriotic and anti-French politicians who are prepared to hand over our foreign policy to the United States, and our domestic policies to the European Community. Well under me that'll on day one."
-Philippe de Villiers during a campaign stop in Calais, 5/13/95
"Lionel Jospin won the first round, in what appeared to be a dramatic electoral recovery for the Socialist Party. His right-wing challenger for the runoff vote was Phillipe de Villiers and not Jacques Chirac. Defeated, Chirac begrudgingly endorsed the UDF candidate, as did Jean-Marie Le Pen, who repeated his good result of the previous presidential election."
-Wikipedia page for 'French presidential election, 1995'
BRIGITTE BARDOT BACKS DE VILLIERS: SAYS UDF CANDIDATE IS ONLY ONE WHO CAN 'STAND UP TO ISLAMICISATION OF FRANCE'
-Le Monde, 4/30/95
JOSPIN AND DE VILLIERS EXPECTED TO SPAR IN FIERCE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
-The New York Times, 5/1/95
JOSPIN: "Its either five years with Jospin or seven years with de Villiers."
DE VILLIERS: "You mean another seven years of Francois Mitterrand - after all the last fourteen have been so good haven't they?"
-Lionel Jospin and Philippe de Villiers during the final runoff Presidential debate, 5/1/95
THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT ANTI-DE VILLIERS DEMONSTRATION IN PARIS
-Le Figaro, 5/2/95
JOSPIN HAD TROTSKYIST AFFILIATIONS
-Le Monde 5/2/95
'VOTE FOR THE SOCIALIST
NOT THE FASCIST'
-Sign seen during 'March Against Hate' in Paris, 5/3/95
'REMEMBER AIR FRANCE
PDV FOR PRESIDENT'
-Sign seen during counter-demonstration in Paris 5/3/95
DEMONSTRATION TURNS VIOLENT AS PROTESTERS CLASH WITH PARIS POLICE
-The Guardian, 5/4/95
"You're either with me and law & order, or you're with Jospin and the mob!"
-Philippe de Villiers during his final campaign rally in Marseille, 5/5/95
CLOSE RESULT EXPECTED IN FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
-The New York Times, 5/7/95
DE VILLIERS, M. PRESIDENT
-Le Figaro, 5/8/95
DE VILLIERS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE PASQUA AS PRIME MINISTER
-Le Monde, 5/15/95
UNION FOR FRANCE WINS LANDSLIDE IN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS - BALLADUR SWORN IN AS PRIME MINISTER
-Le Figaro, 3/29/93
26 December 1994: France rocked by day of terror
France and the world are in a state of shock after an attack left over a thousand dead. Islamist terrorist hijacked Air France Flight 8969 on Christmas Eve at the Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers, Algeria where the terrorists killed three passengers and proceeded to hold out in a standoff until the plane left for metropolitan France on Christmas Day. With insufficient fuel to fly to Paris the flight stopped off in the early hours of the morning to refuel in Marseille before flying for Paris. While the original plans for the attack were to destroy the Eiffel Tower, a landmark of French culture, poor weather conditions and pilot error by the hijackers meant that the plane crashed into a field. A state of emergency has been declared in Paris, with France closing its airspace for several hours after the flight. French President has called the attack "an absolute tragedy" while French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua labeled it "an extraordinary and horrific feat."
-BBC News, "On This Day"
PASQUA VOWS 'REVENGE' FOR TERROR ATTACK
-Le Figaro, 12/30/94
LEADING UDF MEMBERS CRITICISE BALLADUR'S 'UNPREPAREDNESS' OVER AIR FRANCE
-Le Monde, 15/1/95
CULTURE MINISTER PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS ANNOUNCES BID FOR UDF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
-Le Figaro, 23/1/95
FRENCH PM BALLADUR RULES OUT PRESIDENTIAL BID
-The New York Times, 26/1/95
VGE RULES OUT ANOTHER RUN FOR PRESIDENCY - SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT UDF CANDIDATE
-Le Monde, 28/1/95
"I am the only politician who tells the French the truth about the Islamization of France [...] I do not think Islam is compatible with the French republic!"
-UDF Presidential candidate Philippe de Villiers, 3/2/95
SOCIALIST PRIMARY SEES JOSPIN VICTORY
-Le Figaro, 7/2/95
JOSPIN: 24%
DE VILLIERS: 20%
CHIRAC: 18%
-TNS SOFRES poll, 23/2/95
FRANCE'S KEYES: WHO IS PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS?
A traditionalist Catholic father of seven could become the new President of the French Republic if polling holds. De Villiers, a leading French politician who campaigned against the Maastricht Treaty in a referendum three years ago, is a jack of all trades. Initially a successful entrepreneur who founded the popular historical themed Puy du Fou theme park in his power base of Vendee, de Villiers is very much a product of the west-central French department of Vendee, famous for being the scene of the royalist rising against the First French Republic in 1793. A provincial politician he has steadily risen through the ranks of the centre-right Union for French Democracy (UDF) party since the mid-1970s to become Minister of Culture in Edouard Balladur's cabinet. While using the populist rhetoric of the hard-right, de Villiers, a protege of the right-wing liberal Defence Minister Francois Leotard, has insisted that he is a 'libertarian liberal'. Despite this, it appears that de Villiers an ephemeral conservative Catholic monarchist. Railing against xenophobic fears of loss of sovereignty and immigration, the aristocratic politician has found his support surging in recent months after the Paris attack of December last year. Current polling suggests he is a narrow favourite to make the runoff against Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin but is unlikely to win in a runoff.
-Time, 4/3/95
LE PEN BLEEDING SUPPORT TO DE VILLIERS IN LATEST SOFRES POLL
-Le Monde, 3/17/95
PPDA: "Which world leader do you admire the most?"
DE VILLIERS: "General de Gaulle naturally."
PPDA: "Living..."
DE VILLIERS: [Ponders for a second] "Viktor Anpilov then."
-Philippe de Villiers being interviewed by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor on TF1, 3/22/95
CANDIDATES SPAR IN CONTENTIOUS DEBATE; JOSPIN AND CHIRAC ATTACK 'EXTREMIST' DE VILLIERS AS UDF CANDIDATE RAILS AGAINST 'ESTABLISHMENT POLITICS'
-Le Figaro, 3/25/95
"The really concerning thing about this race is that the polling suggests that de Villiers' support is coming from both the right and left. Many voters who would normally have voted for the far-right National Front are naturally heading over to de Villiers' camp, yet he is also gaining a large amount of the Communist Party's base. In part this is as a result of the party running a reformist candidate in the form of Robert Hue who has annoyed the party base. On the other hand for much of its history the party has stoked fears of immigrants taking Frenchmen's jobs and homophobia in order to shore up its vote. This time around it seems to have hurt them quite badly. Ironically much of the UDF's base is not its traditional voter bloc, but rather a hodgepodge of assorted personae non grataes of the main parties."
-Pierre Salinger talking to NBC News, 4/2/95
CHIRAC ACCUSED OF MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS WHILE PARIS MAYOR
-Le Monde, 5/4/95
"We need to return to the traditional foreign policy of this Republic - putting France first. We've got ourselves into our current situation due to us giving power to an assortment of unpatriotic and anti-French politicians who are prepared to hand over our foreign policy to the United States, and our domestic policies to the European Community. Well under me that'll on day one."
-Philippe de Villiers during a campaign stop in Calais, 5/13/95
"Lionel Jospin won the first round, in what appeared to be a dramatic electoral recovery for the Socialist Party. His right-wing challenger for the runoff vote was Phillipe de Villiers and not Jacques Chirac. Defeated, Chirac begrudgingly endorsed the UDF candidate, as did Jean-Marie Le Pen, who repeated his good result of the previous presidential election."
-Wikipedia page for 'French presidential election, 1995'
BRIGITTE BARDOT BACKS DE VILLIERS: SAYS UDF CANDIDATE IS ONLY ONE WHO CAN 'STAND UP TO ISLAMICISATION OF FRANCE'
-Le Monde, 4/30/95
JOSPIN AND DE VILLIERS EXPECTED TO SPAR IN FIERCE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
-The New York Times, 5/1/95
JOSPIN: "Its either five years with Jospin or seven years with de Villiers."
DE VILLIERS: "You mean another seven years of Francois Mitterrand - after all the last fourteen have been so good haven't they?"
-Lionel Jospin and Philippe de Villiers during the final runoff Presidential debate, 5/1/95
THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT ANTI-DE VILLIERS DEMONSTRATION IN PARIS
-Le Figaro, 5/2/95
JOSPIN HAD TROTSKYIST AFFILIATIONS
-Le Monde 5/2/95
'VOTE FOR THE SOCIALIST
NOT THE FASCIST'
-Sign seen during 'March Against Hate' in Paris, 5/3/95
'REMEMBER AIR FRANCE
PDV FOR PRESIDENT'
-Sign seen during counter-demonstration in Paris 5/3/95
DEMONSTRATION TURNS VIOLENT AS PROTESTERS CLASH WITH PARIS POLICE
-The Guardian, 5/4/95
"You're either with me and law & order, or you're with Jospin and the mob!"
-Philippe de Villiers during his final campaign rally in Marseille, 5/5/95
CLOSE RESULT EXPECTED IN FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
-The New York Times, 5/7/95
DE VILLIERS, M. PRESIDENT
-Le Figaro, 5/8/95
DE VILLIERS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE PASQUA AS PRIME MINISTER
-Le Monde, 5/15/95
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