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| Strauss Kahn |
“This is like a thunderbolt,” said Lionel Jospin, a former Socialist prime minister who is close to Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund. Before he was accused of sexually assaulting a housekeeper in a New York hotel in May, Strauss-Kahn had been considered the likely candidate of the Socialist Party to oppose President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s elections.
The charges seemed to draw an abrupt and indelible line across his career and ambitions. He resigned from the IMF, and the French Socialists began seeking a new presidential contender. But the calculations all changed when two well-placed law enforcement officials in New York indicated on Thursday that the sexual assault case against Strauss-Kahn was on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major questions about the credibility of his accuser.
The case led to soul-searching about the treatment of women in France and male behavior. Responses to the latest news seemed to suggest that the debate had become less clear-cut. “This is a slap in the face of the feminists,” said Marc Marciano, 53, a trader in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a Paris suburb.
Not all French people interviewed on Friday were prepared to accept that the Strauss-Kahn could easily his regain his stature in politics.
“People are not going to forgive him. At a political level, he is dead,” said Agnes Berge, 44, who works for a law firm in Neuilly. “It would be terrible for France if he came and if we give him some credit again.” But Sophie Leseur, 50, an artist, said the saga could turn Strauss-Kahn into a “martyr.”
“His reputation is tarnished forever,” said Marie Chuinard, 25, a legal adviser. “I think he can come back to French political life, but internationally he is burned.”
The developments emerged as France slept, leaving many to awake to a new set of repercussions, puzzles and perceptions. The news broke too late for French newspapers, but spread rapidly across television, radio and Web news outlets.
Martine Aubry, the Socialist Party leader, was quoted on the website of the magazine L’Express as expressing “immense joy” at the report from New York.
“Speaking as a friend of DSK, I hope the American justice system will establish all the truth and allow Dominique to get out of this nightmare,” she said, using the initials by which Strauss-Kahn is widely known in France. She declined to comment on the scheduled primary to choose a Socialist candidate or her own candidacy, L’Express said.
The development seemed to offer more ambiguous tidings for Sarkozy and his allies, and some said they had celebrated Strauss-Kahn’s political demise prematurely.
Strauss-Kahn’s elimination from presidential politics as a result of the sexual assault charges brought disarray to the Socialists, opening up the opposition party to new internecine strife over the choice of a presidential candidate. But the possibility of his return — in some form or another — as an influence on the presidential race brought a new set of questions.
“I think Sarkozy and his friends are going to have a very unpleasant morning,” said Claude Bartolone, a Socialist legislator.
A presidential spokesman said the French leader had no immediate comment on the matter. “The French government respects the processes of the American justice system and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” the spokesman said. François Fillon, the prime minister, urged people to “wait patiently while American justice does its work.”
Socialist officials, by contrast, seemed jubilant.
“I am a happy man, happy for him and for our country,” Jack Lang, a former Socialist culture minister who has ardently supported Strauss-Kahn since the accusations emerged, said on French television. “You can’t play with the honor and dignity of someone. His life was temporarily broken, his honor put into question.”
If the charges against Strauss-Kahn are dropped, he could still return to France to play a pivotal role in the upcoming presidential elections, Lang said. “He could still play a major role in France, without being candidate. This would give an extra chance for victory.” Strauss-Kahn could even be appointed a minister again under a Socialist president, he added.
Another Strauss-Kahn ally, Socialist legislator Jean-Marie Le Guen, said the developments in New York represented “incredible news” for Strauss-Kahn and his family. “I believe they will, without doubt, have the impression this morning that they are awakening from a long nightmare,” he said, urging the American justice system to rehabilitate Strauss-Kahn.
François Pupponi, a friend of Strauss-Kahn said he had never believed the allegations against him. “The man they depicted was not the man I knew,” he said.
In several conversations there seemed to be little rancor toward the U.S. justice system, beyond a broad sense that it was, as one French legal adviser put it, “muscular.”
But Patrice Rande, 50, the manager of an insurance office, said the case risked stoking anti-U.S. feeling with the impression that the New York police had deliberately humiliated Strauss-Kahn.
“We were made to believe he was guilty, we dropped him, we really bought this,” Rande said. “I’m shocked that they didn’t take more care,” he said, referring to U.S. prosecutors.
Equally, some people warned against allowing the pendulum of opinion that swung against Strauss-Kahn to swing back too quickly in his favor. Marie Nury, the owner of a boutique, expressed dismay at the speed with which the reports from New York seem to persuade some people that Strauss-Kahn was blameless.
“I don’t know if he’s guilty or not,” she said, “but this doesn’t prove he is innocent.”
At the Paris headquarters of the Socialist Party and in the nearby parliamentary offices near the National Assembly, speculation about the implications of a potential collapse of the case against Strauss-Kahn was rife.
With registration for the Socialists’ October primaries in full swing as a July 13 deadline approaches, some began lobbying for a suspension of the process to give Strauss-Kahn a chance to re-enter the race.
Others cautioned that the latest round of unexpected revelations may not be the last.
“Let’s all stay calm. The version of the story has changed before and could change again,” said Gerard Le Gall, a Socialist and public opinion expert. “It’s too early to draw any conclusions.”
Former French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who was selected by the IMF on Tuesday to take over Strauss-Kahn’s position as managing director, was not immediately available for comment.
“This doesn’t change anything,” said an IMF official close to the transition. “It’s unusual, but he has resigned. She’s the new managing director, the staff are waiting for her. She has a full plate and she’s ready to hit the ground running.
“The staff still have a job to do. After the initial shock, everyone has focused on work,” the official said.
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