Winning the election for the presidency of France on Sunday, Nicolas Sarkozy won much of his support from citizens who supported his main campaign promise to "let people work more in order to earn more" by eliminating governmental constraints on the 35-hour workweek.
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Get Your Report Now!In an article in the International Herald Tribune, many voters interviewed cited the workweek as a main reason for their vote.
Ombline Van de Weyer, 27, said she had voted for Sarkozy because many of her friends were going abroad to work because they could make more working more hours.
Management consultant Nicolas Arnault, 25, said "I'm for liberalizing the labor market and getting rid of the 35-hour workweek, which is hurting economic growth and limiting our economic choices and opportunities." Let people work if they want to," said Fabien Vavasseur, 35, a bookstore clerk.
Sarkozy's opponent, Socialist Ségolène Royal, who would have become the first female president of France, ran on gender-based issues, including pay equality and ending violence against women, but received fewer votes from women than Sarkozy did.
Sarkozy, who was called "the candidate for work," and who also proposed cutting taxes on overtime hours worked, is expected to take over from current president Jaques Chirac in 10 days.
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