President’s people

Much as the numbers in the presidential electoral college may seem to be stacked against him, the possibility of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s candidature has kindled a rare public enthusiasm. The Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson’s allusion to it — the people’s “love and affection” — may have been a touch dramatic. But it had a realistic base: there is significant popular interest in a non-partisan presidency. But the political class should also note that this sentiment extends beyond the outcome of the presidential poll. It is a sentiment of hope that perhaps non-partisan executive decision-making may still be possible. It is a reaction against the ideological and culture wars that have raged so furiously in the early years of this decade — at home and abroad.

This mood can be made sense of if one examines presidential races in other countries. Take two very current examples, the US and France. The presidency in these countries is much more powerful than India’s, so the resonance of non-partisanship is not limited to posts with a largely ceremonial status. In the US this week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg changed his political orientation from Republican to unaffiliated. (In the past he was a Democrat too.) He immediately said that this is not a prelude to an independent presidential bid, but it has not stopped public expectation that he will in the end bid, thereby restoring the terms of debate in campaign 2008 to the middle ground. This is especially so regarding Iraq, on which Bloomberg argues debate should focus on how to move ahead instead of dredging up pre-war arguments and flinging blame. The point is, if he runs, he may not — probably won’t — win but he could influence how the next incumbent of the White House is chosen.

In France, Nicholas Sarkozy’s spectacular victory, dimmed only slightly by his centre-right party’s inability to sweep the parliamentary polls, shows the pragmatic dimensions of this non-partisanship. It is not that he swore non-allegiance to a political party. He remained in his party but crafted an agenda to draw his country out of the international isolation and economic inertia under Chirac, his own party colleague. He also took persons from the Left in his cabinet — like Bernard Kouchner, who favoured the US-led invasion of Iraq. For politicians seeking ways to be electable, these are two valuable case studies.