USA Obama follower of the town meetings

Major neighbouring European countries and the United States, the heads of State and Government comply regularly the performance of the press conference, that Nicolas Sarkozy has practiced only twice since his arrival at the Elysee Palace. They are also accountable to the national representation. But they are not television shows such as the one which will participate this evening the head of State. Or direct trade with their citizens.

Germany: Merkel on several fronts

In Germany, Chancellor Merkel is regularly exposed to the disturbing questions. At a press conference, it must be expected at any time. As Angela Merkel is also the head of his party, the opportunities for elle to be put in difficulty are multiple. Ten days ago, following a meeting of the staff of the CDU, it suffered a fire of questions about the disagreements in his coalition. The criticism also come from his own training, including on his lack of authority or his silence on several controversial issues. Finally, as head of the Government, she appears regularly in the Bundestag. There, members of the opposition can it stop, following a formal, or even same procedure by launching a question without wake-up call, aloud.

United Kingdom: Brown under fire from deputies

The British parliamentary system is the leader of the party in power as Prime Minister and that he is so brought, as François Fillon at the Palais Bourbon, to explain once a week before the members. The "questions to the Prime Minister" session held every Wednesday at noon, lasted half an hour and is often the occasion for oratorical contests animated between the leaders of the three main parties. Television broadcasts this direct confrontation. The current leader of the Government, Gordon Brown, also provides a monthly press conference at Downing Street, to which are invited thirty British journalists and a corresponding 30 foreigners. To add those that are organized for one-time events, such as visits by foreign leaders.

Italy: Berlusconi, a habitué of the TV trays

In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi engaged very irregularly in the exercise of the press conference in good and due form. Last, that of January 13, at the end of the Council of Ministers at the Palazzo Chigi... History to show the Italians, after a month of convalescence, he was in good health after the attack it was mid-December in the Duomo of Milan. The previous was in early August. The head of the Government then made the results of his action before the holidays. He also came to the Cavaliere answering the impromptu to journalists who are the foot of crane before the Palazzo Grazioli, his Roman residence, or at Arcore, his Lombard villa. For the rest, it does never miss an opportunity to invite on the shelf of his three private TV or on the public channel Rai1. He did several times after the L'Aquila earthquake in April. And in October, the day where the Constitutional Court has removed his criminal immunity.

Spain: Zapatero prefers the informal points

It seems reluctant to hold large press conferences, the head of the Spanish Government José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is not for all inaccessible to journalists. Most of the official visits of responsible for Spanish and foreign to the Moncloa, the seat of the Presidency, and his movements outside the country, give rise to open information points where topics have sometimes few reports with the meeting of the day. The emission mode "to the public" has not spared nor the Spain: TVE 1, the first national channel, regularly organizes a show entitled "tengo una pregunta para usted" ("I have a question for you") when policy makers meet a panel of viewers.

USA: Obama, follower of the "town meetings".

During the presidential campaign and since his arrival in power, Barack Obama has been a big user of the "town meeting" format, meeting with questions from the audience. It is a genre where he excelled and there seems even more comfortable than the traditional press conferences at the White House with use of the teleprompter. Several meetings of this kind were organized by the Obama team, during the summer 2009, to counter the offensive of "tea-parties" of the Republicans on the reform of medical insurance and try to convince Americans of the urgency of reform and the need to reduce the costs of the health care system. Barack Obama has also translated abroad "town meeting" format, in speaking directly to young Chinese on his trip to Shanghai in November 2009. This does not preclude the US President to be hyperprésent in the traditional media, through interviews most of the time television. In addition to his radio speech over the weekend, held a press conference open to foreign media almost every month during the first year of its mandate. He also introduced greater transparency by inviting private nonprofit C-SPAN television chain to film the negotiations on the reform of the health system at the White House.