But themselves do not know what will be the attitude of Jacques Chirac

The landscape seems to clarify, at the end of the year, for Nicolas Sarkozy. He certainly long underestimated the "phenomenon" Ségolène Royal, but he held good in opinion polls and his opponents in the right are now low enough so that it appears as the must-see of the UMP candidate. Dominique de Villepin, decided to occupy the land Government until the end of the quinquennium, is always in a position to be a remedy in the event that the President of the UMP would fall in the polls, but it is now largely isolated on this strategy, even if the Clearstream case seems now behind him (see page 12). At a Government breakfast, Friday morning, he has even called for the "gathering" and promised to "do everything to win his camp". After having seriously considered to stand against Nicolas Sarkozy, to weigh for the suite, Michèle Alliot-Marie seems markedly less confident. The series of internal forums that the UMP was conducted in December instead served him, so she had difficulty to propose an alternative line. Only institutions are now officially a debate in the majority party also diplomacy, but it was not addressed at this time. The Minister of defence should give its decision by the end of the year.

Show of force

In total, a very large part of the Government and with UMP parliamentarians today occur behind Nicolas Sarkozy. Jean-Pierre Raffarin held Friday a small demonstration of force by making public a list of 140 deputies, senators, Ministers and former Ministers supporting his candidacy, which add to the 20 who had already done so. Among them, Thierry Breton (Minister for the economy), Pascal Clément (Justice), Xavier Bertrand (health), Dominique Bussereau (Agriculture), Jacques Barrot, European Commissioner for transport, and Francis Mer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Safran Group. "It is to support Nicolas Sarkozy in this campaign that we know tight and we want to win", said Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Another part of the majority refuses to declare before the investiture of the candidate by the activists (January 14), but ensures that it will play the game then. Alain Juppe is to them, which multiplies the calls to the unit and press the last reluctant to engage without delay in the battle ("Les Echos" of December 22). It is this that close Jean-Louis Debré, Henri Cuq questioning child, Christian Jacob... who say loud and clear that only account the calendar of Jacques Chirac. But the head of State planned to unveil his intentions until the first quarter of 2007. In the meantime and forts of the principle that election opinions crystallize that a few weeks before the election, they are of the Congress of the UMP on 14 January a non-event and ensure that the game is still completely open. But themselves do not know what will be the attitude of Jacques Chirac. The President may seek re-election even his family did not seem to believe And if this is not the case, will it seek to help the President of the UMP, although relations are still marked by the "treason" of 1993 (Nicolas Sarkozy had Edouard Balladur campaign) The wishes of the President, next week, will no doubt provide first signs.