Stage 2 of the Elections; One Week to Go (Next Elections: 6 May)

Here are some of the posters for the two candidates running in the second round of the elections, but as you can see, the posters have been defaced already and, in fact, since these photos were taken, even shredded in the middle. Royal for her part is dismissed as a political lightweight or a Blair-type Socialist who is betraying her traditional left-wing base; Sarkozy is accused of being a polarizing figure who panders to the extreme right.

Funny then, watching the coverage on TV over the last few days, where both of them have called large Republican/Democrat-styled conventions in large arenas such as Bercy, in Paris, and asked for testimonials from celebrities, musicians, and so on to demonstrate just how "inclusive" they really are. Sarkozy himself had admitted as much, that he would run to the right to co-opt the extremist platform of LePen, then run towards the center in the second stage of the election.

With one week left, there is little of substance left in this election, save for the crucial debate on 2 May, during (unfortunately) the Champions League soccer match between Manchester United and AC Milan. In a recent debate with Francois Bayrou, the "third" candidate, Royal sounded more convincing and at ease with figures than in her earlier months. It should make for a lively debate this Wednesday, but it's hard to guess whom France will choose come this Sunday.

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• PS The photos above have not been retouched, the graffiti on the posters was already there when photos were taken. I do not personally in anyway approve of such defacings, and am simply recording what I saw.
• PPS, I've just realized this, but if any of you have thought that you've seen Royal's posters before, they're done in the style of the artist Barbara Krueger. I recommend you see the artwork here, on the artist's official site. Whether she did the posters or not, or whether the similarities with her style were intended or not, I'm not sure.
• LINK: (highly recommended: the similarities are stunning!)
• http://www.barbarakruger.com/art.shtml