Sarko Babes embarrass his party

Published on Friday 11 April 2008 21:46

FRENCH president Nicolas Sarkozy's government faced growing divisions last week, as yet another of his young female ministers provoked a storm of controversy – this time attacking her "cowardly" cabinet bosses.

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, 34, the ecology minister, has become the latest of the "Sarko Babes" – as Mr Sarkozy's attractive and youthful cabinet choices are popularly known – to embarrass him in front of his ruling conservative majority.

In an interview with the respected daily Le Monde, published on Wednesday, she freely criticised her boss, the environment and energy minister Jean-Louis Borloo, along with Jean-Franois Cop, leader of Mr Sarkozy's UMP party in the French National Assembly.

Their failure to back a controversial new law on genetically modified crops was "a competition in cowardice and inelegance", she said.

Ms Kosciusko-Morizet, popularly known as "NKM", was rapidly called to order by Mr Sarkozy. Through Franois Fillon, the prime minister, he demanded that she make a public apology or suffer the consequences.

NKM acquiesced, but was still dropped from Mr Fillon's trip to Japan and barred from the National Assembly for an afternoon.

Her treatment brought accusations of machismo from the former ecology minister Corinne Lepage. "She would never have been treated like that if she had been a man. She was publicly humiliated by being obliged to apologise," said Ms Lepage.

Mr Sarkozy's appointments of glamorous young women ministers to his rainbow cabinet was once welcomed as the dawn of a new era in sexual and racial equality in the traditionally macho, white world of French politics.

While admired for their beauty and style, however, their outspoken approach has been a headache for the president.

The youngest member of the government, Rama Yade, 30, the Senegalese-born human rights minister, said during the visit of the Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi: "Our country is not a doormat for leaders, terrorists or not, to wipe their bloody feet on."

Summoned to the Elyse Palace to explain herself, she narrowly escaped being fired – mainly because the majority of French voters agreed with her, observers said.

The suburbs minister, Fadela Amara, 43, of Algerian descent, described Mr Sarkozy's plans for DNA testing for immigrants applying for French nationality as "disgusting".

Rachida Dati, the justice minister, was born to poor North African parents on a tough housing estate but was dubbed "Dior Dati" for her love of haute couture gowns. She sent shock waves through France's stuffy legal profession when she appeared in Paris Match magazine perched on her desk at the justice ministry wearing a panther-print Dior dress, fishnet stockings and high-heeled black leather boots.

She came under fire for overspending her 2007 ministerial budget by 30 per cent on entertainment expenses.

The controversy surrounding Ms Kosciusko-Morizet's comments have revealed "considerable tension" within the UMP party.

"NKM went too far, perhaps under orders. There is a risk that things will disintegrate more and more often," said one assembly member, Herv Mariton. Another complained that good looks were too important in Mr Sarkozy's image conscious presidency and blamed "the casting of pretty faces in the government".

Described as brilliant and highly ambitious, NKM is descended from a respected Resistance fighter. She trained as a rural engineer and is also an accomplished horsewoman and harpist.

Mr Sarkozy is said to be testing his protg, who is reported to have ambitions to be prime minister.

"Either he will give her a major ministry or he will fire her," said a senior minister.