LA CANDIDATE

WORD COUNT

Good morning, France; I'm Romain Laurent, presenting your morning edition this Monday, 20 March, on C15. It's 9 am, and we're talking about the burning subject. La guerre est declarée, Lafarge contre Lafarge. We can say that the presidential this year is starting with fireworks. Never has there been such enthusiasm around the elections. Isn't it true, Claudine?"

"Yes, Romain, the Lafarge have risen to celebrity status, generating considerable Internet and other media traffic. The advocate, Severine Lafarge, is the surprise of the election as she is the only candidate to exercise a liberal profession. All other candidates are in positions as state representatives.

"It isn't the first time, though?" Romain asked.

"History has proven that anyone can enter politics, regardless of status. Everyone remembers Olivier Besancenot, a 23-year-old postman who decided to represent his party and run for president. These first-time candidates can even come out as victors. We have examples in other countries."

"There is a lot of excitement around Ms. Lafarge. People are eager to know her program."

"Yes, indeed, Romain. All the candidates have deposited their signatures and opened their headquarters for the campaign. Most have already made public appearances and used regulated speech time. The only candidate who hasn't is the CL candidate, Severine Lafarge. The reasons as to why she hasn't remain a mystery for the first-time runner is highly solicited.

Severine was careful. She only pronounced herself a candidate once the constitutional council validated the signatures. The regulated speech time frame window began from 1 January to the 7th of Mars. From the 8th, when the official candidates were announced, the speech time on TV and radio was reinforced.

Severine followed the advice of her former arch-enemy-turned-ally, Sorell Knechi. The anchor was France's most hated woman. The backlash and cancellation she received turned the projectors away from Severine's face.

The press constantly opposed their commentary and enjoyed portraying the black women as rivals. Sorell, who never backed out of any quarrel, entertained. Often called the French Candace Owens, she clapped back at anyone, regardless of status.

Sorell had never been tender with Severine. The threads on Z, the microblogging Website, amplified the women's clashes.

Serenesorell: I don't know why you are interested in scrutinizing my life and calling me whitewashed when you have Severine Loketo Lafarge. No one is knocking on her door asking why she married into a Republican patriarchal and nationalist family who made a fortune selling Africans and Ivory in France's colonialist dark days.

Severine shocked the public when she sent messages of support to Sorell on Z when the anchor was at her lowest.

One of her most liked messages said: Why do you continually seek to divide us? Why do black women have to be opponents in your coliseum? I refuse to entertain the wicked.

The message broke the Internet. Everyone had their say about who the wicked were. Both women suffered greatly. Their lifestyle, opinions, and status were constantly in the media's gossip cyclone.

After a long walk in the desert and a round trip to Africa, the former news anchor was back. Influential, the woman's words were sure to linger and weigh on Severine's electoral results, and Sorell knew it.

Of course, the French were impatient to hear Sorell's views as a journalist on the current election. Also, many desired to know if the first black female anchor would support Severine, who wasn't the first but the second black woman to run for president after Christine Taubira.