French President Nicolas Sarkozy will announce his bid for re-election on Wednesday, setting the stage for what he hopes will be a dramatic comeback against his poll-leading Socialist rival, a source in his office said. With only 10 weeks before the first round of the presidential vote on April 22, right-wing Sarkozy is lagging in the polls, struggling with image problems and burdened with a moribund economy. But his team is confident that once officially in the race Sarkozy, a seasoned and charismatic campaigner, will be able to quickly make up ground on Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande. Elysee sources said he would officially confirm his candidacy on TF1 television in its 1900 GMT news show Wednesday and will announce that Ecology Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet will be his campaign spokeswoman. Henri Guaino, Sarkozy’s special advisor, will be the campaign’s speechwriter and Sarkozy was to hold his first major election rally Thursday in the Alpine town of Annecy. Sarkozy has been laying the groundwork for his run in the last several weeks — portraying himself as a defender of traditional values and a steady hand in dealing with the European economic crisis.
