Nicolas Sarkozy launched a personal Twitter account and geared up for a prime-time TV appearance Wednesday, amid expectations that the unpopular French leader will at last announce his reelection bid. The conservative president, whom many blame for France's economic troubles, has for months trailed Socialist nominee Francois Hollande in the polls. Many pundits say Sarkozy needs to recoup some momentum to stand a chance of winning the two-round vote starting in April. To most observers, Sarkozy's candidacy has been more a question of “when” than “if,” and some suggested his deficit in the polls has accelerated its official start to Wednesday. Earlier his entourage had suggested he would wait until March to join the race. Sarkozy's looming candidacy has become one of France's worst-kept political secrets. Media reported his Paris campaign headquarters are ready to go, with about a dozen presidential staffers to move over, and he's widely expected to attend rallies for his UMP party in the Alpine town of Annecy on Thursday, and in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille on Sunday.
