On Saturday, Sarkozy announced his plans to quit his current position as the head of France's Les Republicains party, and later confirmed his bid for the 2017 presidency.
"There is nothing to fear from a duel with Nicolas Sarkozy, who remains widely discredited by the disastrous results of his five-year [term] and the inconsistency of his convictions," Alain Vizier said.
Tax breaks on overtime work and relatively low wealth tax were the two cornerstones of the economic policy during Sarkozy's presidential tenure, in the period 2008-2012. During Francois Hollande presidency, these tax breaks have been abolished and wealth tax has been dramatically increased.
According to the National Front, Sarkozy's bid for the presidency "is indicative of the atmosphere that prevails within the ex-UMP [the Union for Popular Movement, the previous name of his party], which is, as the Socialist Party, a party heavily divided, animated only by personal ambition and where there is no ideological integrity."
According to the latest poll by TNS Sofres, Sarkozy ratings among his party fellows jumped from 48 to 65 percent in just a month, while Juppe's rating dropped 14 points to 52 percent. However, Juppe is still much more popular than his party rival among the general electorate, with 36 percent of support versus Sarkozy's 19 percent.
