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France - Jean Sarkozy
Sarkozy junior steps down from nepotism job row
Article published on the 2009-10-23 Latest update 2009-10-23 10:00 TU
Jean Sarkozy explained his decision to stand down on French television on Thursday
(Photo: Reuters)
Jean Sarkozy, the 23-year-old son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has given up his bid to land a top business job after widespread cries of nepotism.
The second-year law student had been put forward to manage Epad, the government-run project to run France’s wealthiest business district at La Défense in Paris. But after ten days of criticism and internet campaigns opposing his appointment, he has now decided to stand down.
"I will not go for the presidency [of Epad]," Jean Sarkozy told France 2 television.
“I do not want a victory stained by doubt."
However, the man dubbed "Prince Jean" by the press said he would still seek election to the board running the area and attacked critics who, he said, had waged a campaign of "manipulation and disinformation" against him.
"I have a vocation for politics, a passion for politics," said Jean Sarkozy who is an elected councillor in Neuilly, the Paris suburb where his father built his reputation. He also leads the right-wing majority in the Hauts-de-Seine regional council.
His initial bid for the job had been met with derision by the left in France who claimed that his appointment would turn the country into a “laughing stock among democracies”.
Former Socialist Prime Minister Laurent Fabius commented ironically: "Europe's biggest business district is in need of a strong legal mind. And Mr Sarkozy is a second-year law student. That's a very, very strong factor."
Opposition Socialist Party spokesperson Benoit Hamon said Jean Sarkozy's decision to withdraw showed that "the President of the republic has retreated under the pressure of the indignation of an immense majority of the French people."
Jean Sarkozy's decision is being seen as a setback for his father, who had defended his son, saying he had been "thrown to the wolves".
