AP- American Sarah Wachter spoke to AP during a campaign with Obama’s poster reading in French “Oui on peut!” “Yes we can” in Paris. There is an online petition urging Barack Obama to contest Presidential election in France signed by 45,000 in 10 days.
The poster is in French “Oui on peut!” in English “Yes we can.”
Have you ever heard that before?
The French people are campaigning and urging former American President Barack Obama to contest for presidential race in France. The petition has been signed by 45000 people and it is expected that it will reach a million supporters by the 20th March.
As the presidential election is due in April-May and is dominated by the corruption investigation against conservative Francois Fillon. The organizers for Obama campaign said they only wanted to insert some slapstick moments in the boring presidential election.
The whole campaign started as a joke between friends who organized the campaign, and one of them told his name ‘Antoine’ and declined to tell his real name because the poster is obviously not legal and he might face charges he told to Associated Press.
As according to Associated Press
Antoine, who spoke to the AP in Paris with his face covered by a cut-out mask of Obama, said that he and his friends decided on the campaign over a drink, after realizing they didn’t know for whom they would vote.
Antoine said he invested 1,500 euros ($1,592) in the campaign, printing out 500 posters. The team has also had mugs and T-shirts made with the image of Obama, which they are selling on their website.
They say the profits will go to a scholarship fund for students from poor neighborhoods attending classes at Sciences Politiques, one of France’s most prestigious universities.
Sarah Wachter has lived in France since 1999 and according to her, the petition is a positive sign.
“People want change but they want the right kind of change. Change that is inclusive, change that is human but change that is also open to the world and that is a very delicate balance to strike,” she told AP. “But I think that Obama has done that in the United States.”
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