Sarkozy's bad week

"Nothing will stop my plan to serve the people. Nothing, absolutely nothing." Nicolas Sarkozy put in a melodramatic performance in his bid to run as presidential candidate for the French Republicans. He says he needs to "grow a very thick skin" in this situation and that not even the most "vile treason" will distract him from his goal. The "treason" is a reference to Sarkozy's former friend and advisor Patrick Buisson, who became an enemy in 2012.

Buisson's attack is the last thing Sarkozy needs now, just two months before reaching his milestone. At the end of November, the presidential candidate for the French conservatives will be elected in a preliminary election. Recent polls show that Alain Juppe, the mayor of Bordeaux, has a 4 to 6 percent edge over Sarkozy. It is not an unsurpassable lead but the new revelations are a serious setback for the man who governed France from 2007 to 2012.

Sympathy for Front National

"The cause of the people: The forbidden history of the Sarkozy presidency" (La Cause du peuple, l'histoire interdite de la présidence Sarkozy) is the name of Patrick Buisson's recently published book in which he generally discredits Sarkozy on the basis of Buisson's private recordings. For example, after his election victory in 2007, the new president allegedly asked his advisor to arrange a secret meeting with the then-leader of the right-wing populist Front National (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen. "Find out what he wants," wrote Buisson in the minutes of the conversation. Other quotes in Buisson's files date back even further, when Sarkozy was interior minister in 2005. Sarkozy allegedly said back then the conservatives have much in common with FN. "The values of Front National are the values of all French people."

Buisson systematically portrays the candidate as an extension of the right who is extremely close to his political opponents. This is indeed underpinned by Sarkozy's recent appearances. Just last week he suggested that he had the solution to France's problems by saying that all French people, including immigrants, must recognize the Gauls as their ancestors. It was an assertion that drew more ridicule than enthusiasm. Even without the tell-all book it is obvious that Nicolas is fishing in nationalist waters and trying to come up with catchy sayings to poach FN voters.

First-class character assassination

The way the former friend and advisor portrays Sarkozy's character surpasses the fantasies of any political opponent. Buisson paints the picture of a narcissist who spent the five years of his first presidential term fostering an inappropriate personality cult. In Buisson's book it is called "Caesarism without a Caesar." Wife Carla Bruni is described as a trophy that adorns his "phallic triumphalism." The entire book is first-class character assassination: Buisson writes that Sarkozy is immature and infantile, and goes on to say that he is a political gambler with no long-term strategies. The book is the revenge of a former friend who Sarkozy cannot ignore.

The trail of Libyan money

The trail of money from Libya leading to Sarkozy could become even more dangerous for the presidential candidate. The Internet magazine "Mediapart" published notes written by former Libyan oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who kept track of everything his leader Muammar Gadhafi donated to friends in power. The notes detail a 6.5 million euro funds transfer from the Libyan dictator to Sarkozy's election campaign. The charges themselves are not new. The notes taken by Ghanem, who was pulled out of the Danube River in 2012 after having mysteriously drowned, only reinforce suspicions. Ghanim's notebook is considered to be genuine and even the Norwegian justice system has used it in a corruption trial.

Gadhafi is said to have pledged 50 million euros in all to Sarkozy's election campaign. The former president has always denied the accusations. At the beginning of September, French authorities announced that they would open a trial against Sarkozy for illegal financing. Investigations into the so-called Bygmalion affair, named after the advertising agency responsible for Sarkozy's election campaign, have been running for the past three years. On Thursday evening, a former Bygmalion staff member is expected to tell all in a documentary made by the public broadcaster France 2. The air is becoming thinner for Sarkozy.

Who is voting for whom?

Meanwhile, many suspect that not only supporters of the conservative Republicans will vote in the primary election. Anyone who pays a fee of two euros and signs a conservative manifesto can also vote. French media reports claim that the socialists plan to vote for Juppe en masse to stop the hated Sarkozy. They have realized that none of their own candidates have a chance in the second ballot, least of all incumbent Francois Hollande, and want to see a president who seems somewhat acceptable to them.

On the other hand, there is nothing keeping Front National from undermining this strategy and casting their ballot for Nicolas Sarkozy. The whole idea of the primaries is becoming all the more questionable in this situation.