French presidential candidate ‘feels close to Turks’

The presidential candidate said he attended Istanbul’s Galatasaray University as an exchange student recently

The youngest contender for the French presidency in 2012 has said he is already well-acquainted with Turkey thanks to family roots that go back to eastern Turkey.

Maxime Verner’s mother has Armenian roots in the eastern province of Erzurum, while the 21-year-old candidate’s father is ethnic French.

“I know Turkey very well; I am interested [in Turkish] history also. I feel [that the] Turks are very close to me. They are open-minded. I want to build a bridge between Turkey and other countries. I would like to tell them that the world of tomorrow is ours. We have responsibilities to conquer and obtain solidarity,” Verner told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent email interview, adding that he followed the example of the world-famous Armenian-French artist Charles Aznavour.

“I am not expecting any support [from] the French-Armenian community; I am French. But lots of Armenians and Turks do support me,” Verner said.

The presidential candidate also said he attended Istanbul’s Galatasaray University as an exchange student recently.

Verner, whose father was a taxi driver, said his interest in politics began while he was working in his father’s cab in the village where he was born.

“Today, I do not belong to any party; my family has never belonged to any [parties either.] I became popular [through the support of] the working class,” he added.

The French constitution was altered because of his candidacy, to allow the then 18-year-old Verner to enter parliament three years ago, he said.

“I want to change the future, the young generations, the long-term perspectives, the world. I want to help France open itself to the world. I would like to free society where anything is possible for anyone. I believe emotions can change the world,” he said and added that he made extensive use of modern technology during election campaigns.

Verner also said he was a member of the “Association des Jeunes de France” (The Association for the French Youth) and said the youth wanted to earn the trust of the French people.

“We want to elucidate [people on] how great the potential of young people is and what we can do,” he said

Note : I support this guy. He sounds sincere and open-minded. I believe that He will be a good president for France.

I anounce right now that i support this guy!! He´s open-minded, he has his own way of thinking and is not afraid of saying what he thinks and feels! And i quote from him "I believe emotions can change the world" 

thanks tunci for this great article!! 

I think somebody needs more experience to be a president. Being out of highschool for 3 years just isn´t enough. You shouldn´t support somebody based on their cultural background or because they are so positive. Being a president requires leadership and management skills, and also requires other people to be willing to follow you. In any case, this isn´t a real run for presidency, just a call for attention for his views.

 Yes , somebody like Sarkozy who crusades Libya and kill civilians in Tripoli and get a title " Speedy Sarko " ??

If your house is demolished by a large explosive thing I very much doubt you would want a so called " experienced president " !

Right...because the REAL villain of Lybia is not Khadaffi, but Sarkozy. People in Lybia live in fear of Sarkozy, and they are all best friends with their great dictator, good ol´ Khadaffff. Get a reality check!

Kötü çocuk tunci, how dare you say this about Sarko!  He is a cute small man with big ideas and a glamorous wife! 

 We are not talking about who is more Villain . We are not comparing Khadaffi with Sarkozy. Khaddafi is bloody dictator. We are talking about killing CIVILIANS . You cant justify dropping bombs on civillian´s houses. We shouldnt mix apples with pears. Yes somebody needs to get a reality check not me ..

I think he has what it takes to become a president...when he only 18 he was the governor of a city in France and he did a great job!! 

Like I said, it´s not only his skills, but also the willingness of other people to follow him. Not many people want to follow a person in their early twenties when it comes to ruling an entire country with a lot of complicated problems. In my opinion he knows that he will not be president now. He is smart, and he has a full understanding of politics. Maybe he will be president one day, but not today.

And about Sarkozy being a villain (to much hassle to quote it again). A villain is somebody who intentionally does harm. You can accuse Sarkozy of a lot of things he did wrong, a lot that border criminality. You can also say that NATO troops have made a horrible mistake when bombing civilian targets. You can not state that Sarkozy is a villain who intentionally kills Lybians. Also strange that you hold this single man responsible for NATO actions. But ofcourse, the NATO countries should have let Khadaffi kill on, and if they wanted to interfere they should have done so using stuffed animals.

Hocam, it´s possible to add apples to pears (I think Americans prefer apples and oranges) 

3 apples + 2 pears = fruit salad 

Here is NATO style "libyan peace salad":

3 war planes + 2 Tomahawk missiles = peace 

Some people are taking sides in this war, not simply wanting peace!