French President Proposes New Immigration Law Ahead of Election
Published at
LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images(PARIS) — If French President Nicolas Sarkozy is reelected in two weeks, he might push for a new law that will make it tougher for immigrants to settle in his country.
Hoping to attract far-right voters who voted for Marine Le Pen in the first round of elections last Sunday, Sarkozy is talking about having immigrants pass a French language exam as a prerequisite for living in France.
Sarkozy told TV station France 2 on Tuesday that the exam would help to limit the number of newcomers to France, saying, “We cannot keep on receiving so many foreign people here.”
This hard line approach to France’s immigration problems might be too little, too late for Sarkozy, who is considered the underdog in the upcoming runoff election. Socialist candidate Francois Hollande barely defeated Sarkozy in the first round vote with eight other challengers on the ballot, but is expected to have an easier time when they meet head-to-head on May 6.
Le Pen finished a strong third last Sunday, but might not endorse either candidate. While Sarkozy is closer to Le Pen politically, the president is so unpopular that many of LePen’s supporters might decide to sit out the election rather than vote for Sarkozy.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio