仏大統領選 欧州危機の行方を占う決戦へ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 25, 2012)
French presidential race to decide European crisis
仏大統領選　欧州危機の行方を占う決戦へ（4月24日付・読売社説）

No winner was chosen in the first round of voting in the French presidential election. Incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, former first secretary of the French Socialist Party, will now battle it out in a runoff election on May 6.
　仏大統領選は第１回投票で決着せず、サルコジ大統領と最大野党・社会党のオランド前第１書記が、５月６日の決選投票に臨むことになった。

In Sunday's election, 10 candidates ran for the presidency. Hollande led with about 29 percent of the vote, while conservative Sarkozy settled for second place with about 27 percent.
　今回の大統領選には１０人が立候補し、１回目の投票で、オランド氏が得票率約２９％で首位となり、現職サルコジ氏は約２７％で２位に甘んじた。

According to the latest opinion polls, Hollande will defeat his rival in the runoff by about 10 percentage points. Sarkozy's reelection is in danger.
　最新の仏世論調査でも、決選投票でオランド氏が１０ポイント前後の差で勝利するとの結果が出ている。サルコジ氏の再選には黄信号がともっていると言えよう。

The biggest campaign issue is economic policy. Since the jobless rate has reached 10 percent in France, voters are focusing their attention on an economic growth policy to expand job opportunities, rather than fiscal rehabilitation.
　最大の争点は、経済政策だ。失業率が１０％に達する中、国民の関心は財政再建よりも、雇用優先の成長路線に集中している。

Results of the runoff election could strongly influence the future of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, which is still unresolved. The judgment French voters hand down will have a very grave import on whether the eurozone crisis can be contained.
　選挙の結果は、いまだに収束しない欧州債務危機の行方を左右しかねない。ユーロ圏の危機封じ込めへ、仏国民が下す審判は、極めて重い意味を持っている。

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Criticism against austerity

Member countries of the European Union last year agreed to support a new treaty that obliges them to balance their budgets.
　欧州連合（ＥＵ）は、債務危機の再発防止のため、各国に財政均衡を義務づける新条約で合意した。

Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel played central roles in securing the agreements.
とりまとめの中心的な役割を担ったのが、サルコジ大統領とメルケル独首相だ。

However, Hollande wants the treaty to be renegotiated, reflecting growing criticism within the country over austerity measures.
　しかし、オランド氏は条約の再交渉を求めている。国内で高まる財政緊縮策批判が背景にある。

In the first round of the French election, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, came in third place. Le Pen believes France should leave the eurozone. In the election campaign she expressed opposition to the EU treaty, which calls on member countries to enhance fiscal discipline.
　第１回投票で３位につけた極右「国民戦線」のルペン党首は、ユーロ圏脱退が持論で、選挙戦でも財政規律強化を定めたＥＵ新条約に反対した。

Hollande will move closer to victory in the runoff if he succeeds in attracting the votes of people who supported Le Pen.
オランド氏が決選投票でルペン支持票を取り込んだ場合、勝利に大きく前進しよう。

If he wins, Hollande will not be able to avoid friction with the German government, and the main pillars of the countermeasures taken against the fiscal crisis, which have been led by Germany and France, will be shaken.
　オランド氏が当選すれば、独政権との摩擦は避けられず、独仏が主導してきた危機対策の柱が揺らぎかねない。

The debt crisis in Greece has been contained for the time being, but uneasiness over Spain's credit is smoldering and business is experiencing a downturn in Europe. Austerity measures are unpopular in any country because they lead to a reduction of civil servants and an increase in the age of pension eligibility.
　ギリシャ危機はひとまず抑え込んでいるものの、スペインの信用不安がくすぶり、欧州の景気は冷え込んでいる。財政緊縮路線は、公務員減らしや年金受給年齢の引き上げなどにつながり、どの国でも不人気をかこっている。

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Future of nuclear power

We are concerned the fiscal crisis might reignite and the global economy may be negatively affected if France, the second-largest economy in the eurozone, changes course.
　ユーロ圏内第２の経済大国フランスが路線を変更する事態になれば、危機を再燃させ、世界経済に悪影響が及ぶ懸念がある。

Japan also is interested in the future of France's energy policy.
　日本の関心は、エネルギー政策の行方にもある。

Nuclear power was expected to be a campaign issue after Hollande initially pledged to reduce nuclear power generation, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of electricity production in France, to 50 percent by 2025.
当初、オランド氏が、消費電力の８割近い原子力発電について「２０２５年までに５０％に縮小する」という公約を掲げ、原子力政策が争点になると思われたからだ。

However, after criticism that this policy would lead to a decrease in job opportunities, Hollande stopped voicing this pledge loudly.
　だが、「雇用減少につながる」と批判されるや、オランド氏は声高に主張するのをやめた。

We wonder if the basic policy of France, a country powered mainly by nuclear plants, will remain unchanged.
　「原発大国」の基本路線に変わりはない、となるのかどうか。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 24, 2012)
（2012年4月24日01時26分 読売新聞）