Sarkozy Is in Police Custody—and Still More Popular than France's Current President
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François Hollande is the most unpopular president in modern French history, presiding over a stagnant economy, double-digit unemployment, and a spate of recent worker strikes.
On the other hand, his likely reelection opponent is in jail. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was taken into custody today for questioning in an influence-peddling case. Sarkozy can be held for at least 24 hours under a law allowing the detention of people who are believed likely to have committed a crime. The allegation is that Sarkozy illegally used judicial contacts to keep tabs on a pending investigation of his campaign finances. It’s the first time in history that a former French president has been jailed.