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During the recent race for the French presidency, much ado was made about the fact that the Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, is a woman. Poll watchers were excited about the prospect of Royal bringing in other women into the cabinet and developing more female-friendly policies. But Royal lost the election.
However, her electoral nemesis, new French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has made good on his own promise for a more diverse France. When presenting his cabinet at the Elysée Palace last week, he ticked off the names of 11 women, three of them minorities:
- Rachida Dati, 41, is the new Minister of Justice. The child of an Algerian and a Moroccan immigrant, Dati was a judge before becoming a Sarkozy spokeswoman.
- Rama Yade, 30, is a junior minister in charge of human rights. Born in Senegal, the political scientist grew up outside Paris, became disenchanted with the socialists, and made an attention-drawing speech at the beginning of Sarko's campaign.
- Fadela Amara, 43, is the new Secretary of State for Urban Policies. Originally from Algeria, Amara is a left-wing politician known for advocating social causes, in particular the end of discrimination.
Each of these women appear well-qualified for their positions, their gender and ethnicity being but side notes in their extensive biographies. Still, that hasn't stopped Sarko from proudly noting the diversity of his appointees, albeit in a rather awkward, and, moreover, factually incorrect way:
When I saw Rachida Dati in the Superior Council of the Judiciary on her red chair, a woman amongst all those men, I was moved," the president said. He complimented Yade on being like a "wild horse," and then gave her an even greater compliment. "There are only two black women on the international stage," he said. "The American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Rama Yade."
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