PARIS, April 18 (UPI) -- French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy says his frightening reputation will prove useful to his campaign.
The Union for a Popular Movement head compared his fearful persona to the reputations of past French leaders, The Financial Times reported Wednesday.
"When Gen. (Charles) de Gaulle was a candidate, some people marched with placards reading, 'Fascism won't get through,'" he said. "When Francois Mitterrand was elected, part of the right said there would be Russian tanks in the Place de la Concorde. These people have disappeared."
Sarkozy has said his presidency would be ambitious in its scope and would include a massive shakeup of the current governmental system.
The newspaper said such a shakeup would likely include a divided finance ministry and a major reduction in the number of other governmental ministries.
