Candidacy season for the presidential elections is open. For both left and
right parties. For now, we have failed to see emerge the real reasons behind
these nominations, but personal ambitions, or so-called dedication to the
national cause. And for the moment, we are in the midst of a school-boys’
quarrel.
Choosing a candidate within a camp means choosing a program and a
psychological profile. Let’s talk first about the psychological profile. It
will be time, later, to talk at length about the programs.
As the top aide for 10 years of a President of the Republic, associated in
all the meetings and proceedings of the presidency, and involved in all
decisions, I think I can say what qualities are needed to fulfill such a
special function.
First, a President is neither a Minister, nor a Prime Minister. He embodies
the nation. He must first think about this embodiment, all the time, which
determines everything. He must live it deeply. He must constantly think
about the footprint of his action in the history of France, past and future.
He must be a man of strong character, with an ability to work for long
hours. He must dress elegantly, speak perfect French; at least speak perfect
English and if possible at least one other foreign language. He must read
daily the foreign press and know Information and Communication Technologies
perfectly: a president who would not know how to answer himself his emails,
send a tweet or browse Google would not be able today to understand the world.
He must also have the ability not to deceive himself, to keep a secret, to
be able to work as a team but in the end decide alone, without doing so
according to his own interests or personal grudges. He must be able to avoid
getting lost in the details, stick to broad guidelines, and only correct the
ministers when they deviate from the course of action he has drawn for the
country.
He must also have an extensive knowledge of the most essential topics for the
embodiment of the nation: military, financial, educational, and social
problems. He must have the keys for understanding future events. And in
particular of the consequences of the financial crisis, which cannot fail to
return, and which will require inevitably unpopular decisions. He will have
to be able to create a consensus with the opposition on major issues of
defense and public finances. In order to have these qualities, a candidate
for the presidency of the republic must not therefore necessarily have been
a Minister. On the contrary, this could distort his reactions, by reducing
it to a matter of detail. He must surely have been elected locally, although
in his new role, he should not represent the interests of districts,
departments, or regions, but those of the whole country.
A primary campaign is not by nature made to reveal these personality traits.
In order to achieve this, we must not be satisfied with sound bites,
postures, rallying and betrayal. We must dare to ask these questions to
these candidates.