The withdrawal of Chirac from the political life unites the French Right

The decision of french president, Jacques Chirac, not to partipate in the race of  French presidential elections, has aroused different reactions, inside and outside France, because of his political weight.This decision has also influenced the election campaign, including the Right camp, to whome Chirac belongs.

In Paris, Chirac's decision led to the unity of the Right's ranks. A unit impossible to achieve in case of a new candidacy of Chirac considering the presence of Nicolas Sarkozy, another heavyweight candidate within the Right.

In this context, the french Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, and french minister of the Overseas Territories, Francois Baroin, known for their loyalty to Chirac, have expressed their support for Sarkozy in his election campaign.

Quoted by "Europe 1", De Villepin, who dreamed about being the successor to Chirac in the Elysee, said that from now on he will be in Sarkozy's side during the electoral battle for "defending the principles of the French Right."

The statement comes after months of poor personal relations between De Villepin and Sarkozy in the context of the "first employment contract (CPE)'' crisis and the "Clearstream" affaire, in which Sarkozy and others were accused of having received bribes through bank accounts abroad to help in the transaction of French frigates that has been sold to Taiwan in 1991.

According to "France 24", Francois Baroin expressed his determination to support Sarkozy in his election compaign to the Elysee.

For his part, Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his thanks for the support De Villepin, who, according to Sarkozy, could safeguard his ambitions for the presidency and represent a strong competition.

However, according to french political analyst Dominique Rene, Sarkozy still faces a significant obstacle to be the only Right candidate in France: Jacques Chirac has still not revealed the favourite person to succeed him. "

Rene says that Chirac, in his speech, wanted to appear as the president of all french people. "He  would have committed a vry big mistake if he had supported a person in this speech", he addec. Other analysts believe that Chirac wanted to keep an electoral card in his hand, even after announcing that he will not be a candidate for the presidency.

Observers see that Chirac had recently pointed out, in an implied manner, that he does not support Sarkozy, especially when he called for the creation of the Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship. This call was an indirect criticism of Sarkozy's strategy about migration, a strategy considered close to the policy of extreme Right. After this criticism, Sarkozy has tried to deliver a message that the support of Chirac has no impact on the chances of candidates. According to thz french radio "France Inter" Sarkozy said that the Republic of France is not a "legacy" and that the french president does not choose his successor.