French politics
March 25, 2010
Dominique de Villepin, French prime minister when Jacques Chirac was president, has announced he will head a new center-right political party in France to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party.
Villepin, who was a member of the UMP until now, told reporters in Paris that he was disillusioned with the government and the president's policies.
"I have a feeling that, in the wake of the [regional] elections, there are no new policies, no change in politics, even though that change is necessary. That is why I decided to create this new movement," Villepin said.
A new challenge
Sarkozy's UMP party suffered a crushing defeat in regional elections last Sunday. The UMP lost all but one region, Alsace, to the Socialist alliance.
The silver-haired Villepin said the party, which does not yet have a name, would be independent and open to anyone. His aim was to "defend France's difference and originality" and keep solid social protection mechanisms while, at the same time, remaining competitive.
The creation of the new party, which will launch officially on June 19, paves the way for Villepin to challenge Sarkozy in presidential elections in 2012.
Asked at a news conference whether he intends to do so, he replied "One has to take one step at a time."
ng/AFP/AP/Reuters
Editor: Matt Hermann