Presidential candidate returns to car factory job
A French Trotskyite returned to his job in a Ford car factory Wednesday after failing to get himself elected as the country's president.
Philippe Poutou, who ran for the New Anti-Capitalist Party but got only 1.15 percent of the vote in the election's first round on April 22, resumed work at 6:00 am local time back at the plant in Blanquefort in southwestern France
"I'm happy to see my mates and colleagues again," the 45-year-old technician told France Bleu radio as he returned to the job from which he had taken leave to work on his campaign.
President Nicolas Sarkozy and his front-running Socialist challenger Francois Hollande beat off Poutou and eight other challengers in the first round to make it through to the run-off on Sunday.
On Tuesday Poutou said voting for Hollande would be a good way to "get rid of Sarkozy" but he declined to specifically instruct his supporters to plump for the Socialist.
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