French Socialists slam European leaders' 'boycott' of presidential candidate Hollande

France’s Socialists are furious over a reported “boycott” of presidential candidate François Hollande by the leaders of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy. Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Mariano Rajoy and Mario Monti have agreed not to meet Hollande during the French presidential campaign, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

The four, all right-wingers like French incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, have all made a verbal commitment not to meet Hollande, the weekly reports.

They were all “scandalised” by his pledge to renegotiate the euro stability pact agreed during the Greek fiscal crisis, it says.

“It’s not European leaders, whom I respect by the way, who should influence the French people’s decision,” Hollande said on French television Sunday.

Earlier his campaign organiser, Pierre Moscovici, dubbed the alleged move “conservative pressure unprecedented in the history of Europe”, claiming that traditionally the German or French leaders have received the two leading candidates in elections.

The German government on Sunday denied that any agreement had been made but said that no meeting has been planned between Chancellor Merkel and Hollande.

Merkel publicly supported Sarkozy in February, prompting Hollande to comment that she had taken on “a hard task because it will not be easy to convince the French people”.

Hollande has asked for a meeting with Merkel but, so far, the only possible date mentioned has been during May. Voting in the French presidential election takes place on 22 April and 6 May.

The Socialist candidate visited London this week but only met opposition leader Ed Miliband and not Prime Minister Cameron.

He visited Rome in December without meetingMonti but he did meet the Spanish prime minister on a visit to Madrid in October.

However, the Socialist Jose Luis Zapatero went on to www.english.rfi.fr/economy/20111121-rajoys-victory-spain-election-fails-reassure-markets lose a general election and be replaced by Rajoy, of the right-wing Popular Party, who has no reported plans to meet the French Socialist presidential candidate.