NICOLAS SARKOZY President of France
*Ensemble Tout Devient Possible
	At this very moment which, as everyone can guess, is so important for France, I am so overwhelmed by my feelings that I cannot find strong enough words to express them. I would simply like you to accept this as a testimony to my sincerity, and my friendship.
All my life, I have had a dream of serving France, my country, my homeland. Today, I have started fulfilling this dream. The only thing that counts now is that the immense crowd that have gathered here are looking only towards one aim, the victory of France. Yes, together everything is possible. I have changed. I have ceased to be the man of a single party, even if it is the first party of France. My France is the France of all French people without exception, and I am holding out a hand to those who vote for extreme parties, as well as to the workers who believed in the left of Jean JAURES and Léon BLUM and who no longer recognize themselves in the immobile left that doesn’t respect work. The trials of life have transformed me. One cannot understand the pain of others if one has not felt it oneself. I want to be the President of France who will fulfil his promises. So I want to let you know my plan for my country. I want to be the president who increases people’s purchasing power. Salaries are currently too low and prices too high. I want all overtime pay to rise by 25% totally tax-free for both employees and employers, whatever the size of the firm. Working four hours overtime a week tax-free means 1,980 euro net at the end of the year for any worker earning the minimum wage (“SMIC”). I want our economy to be more dynamic and more prosperous, so that all wage-earners will have more high-skilled and better paid jobs. I will not increase taxes because this would reduce people’s purchasing power. I want to be the president who revives the work ethic, merit and success. I want those who work hard to earn more than those who live on welfare. I want to encourage all those who want to work as much as they want, the students and the working mothers who need day care for their children, and to allow people to choose their retirement age or to go on working once they have retired if they so wish. This is how we will overcome the problem of the 35-hour week. And I will eliminate inheritance tax so that everyone will be able to bequeath the fruits of a life of labour to their children. I want to be the president who enables every French citizen to own his or her house; because this is everyone’s dream and it is the best form of security for their family. I want to allow people to get mortgages even if they have no starting capital or live in subsidized housing. I will create a tax-credit on mortgage interest, so that young families will get off to a good start in life. I want to be the president who guarantees perfect democracy. French citizens no longer trust politics. So I will adopt a policy of openness, with fewer ministers, and I will be accountable for all my actions to Parliament and citizens. Major appointments will be open, based on competence and not on connections, and will have to be ratified by Parliament. I want an independent system of justice, but also magistrates who can be held accountable for their decisions. I will institute minimum public service guaranteed by law, because continuity in public service is incompatible with taking users hostage on a regular basis. I want to be the president of a new Europe: a Europe with an identity and borders, a Europe that acts in a concrete way, a Europe that protects its interests and its peoples in a globalized world. With 27 member-countries, Europe cannot go on functioning as it did when it had just 6 member-countries. I will suggest to our partners a treaty limited to institutional questions which will enable Europe to operate. I will oppose Turkey’s integration. I want to be the president who fights the injustices of life, those which start at school when parents have not got the necessary means or connections to send their children to the school of their choice, whose children embark on studies that lead them nowhere, as is so often the case today; the injustices suffered by the victims of discrimination whatever their merits and efforts, the injustices in vocational training where the most qualified people get the most aid, the injustices in housing where allowances are the same whether it is for subsidized housing or for more expensive private accommodation. I want to be the president who launches an environmental revolution. Because global warming is the great challenge of our time, I want to encourage a society based on moderation, for the sake of our children. I want to boost research and innovation, reduce taxation on work and make polluters pay. I want green products and services to be made systematically cheaper. I want to be the president of a France proud of its history and of a French republic faithful to its values. I want schools to transmit values as well as knowledge. I want our nation’s history to be honoured and respected before it is judged. I want to remind all that there cannot be rights without duties. This applies to our welfare system which is not owed to anyone but belongs to everybody. I will fight against abuses and fraud. Concerning delinquency, I will create minimum sentences for repeat offenders. I want our immigration system to be based on choice because this is absolutely essential for the full integration of immigrants. I do not accept people living in France without loving our republic, respecting its laws and customs and bothering to speak and write French. I will ensure that our republican principles, based on equal opportunity, equality between men and women, and secularism, are enforced. *Together, everything is possible