By Clare Premo

French President Nicolas Sarkozy can hardly be faulted for lack of leadership. He seems to be everywhere all the time --  in France, in Europe, and literally around the globe. But according to the cover of this week's Le Nouvel Observateur written by Assistant Editor in Chief Hervé Algalarrondo, there's cause for concern that Sarkozy may become the president who ate his own government, upsetting the balance of power and usurping all authority.

In France, the executive branch is made up of the president, the prime minister, and the various ministers of different departments. While the constitution specifies that  this group as a whole should direct the nation’ s policies, Algalarrondo says it's increasingly apparent that the president is augmenting his power while the rest merely look on. Le Nouvel Observateur suggests that  the “true” government is not comprised of the ministers with official titles, but of  the close advisors, best friends, party members and a panel of experts that Sarkozy turns to if and when he wants advice.

For instance, it seems as if Prime Minister François Fillon is all but dispensable these days. Not only has the president taken over most of his traditional roles, he’s even gone as far as to claim the prime minister’s  customary weekend home for himself. That merely symbolizes the general break in the balance of powers. Sarkozy has given himself the ability to assign dossiers and to take charge of important decisions, in effect downgrading Fillon to  just another minister among many. Sarkozy doesn’t seem to think this is a problem for Fillon: “Why is he unhappy? He’s the prime minister!” the president was quoted saying last year. Indeed, to Algalarrondo, it seems that Sarkozy expects Fillon to be grateful for the title, rather than bitter that his duties are being systematically reduced. For now, Fillon’s remaining domain is the leadership of Parliament. But with recent Constitutional changes that begin to tread on this right, who knows how long this fragile balance can last? (And with the complete implosion of the Socialist Party over the weekend, there is now no effective opposition to Sarkozy at any level of government.)

Fillon’s not the only one feeling unwanted. The ministers of the different departments are experiencing a decline in power as well.  Apparently writing the script for the prime minister is not enough for Sarkozy; he wants to be the producer, director, star -- and cinematographer and publicist -- for the entire show. While in theory, the ministers might be in charge of the economy, internal security, or justice, in practice, they hold a post comparable to a vice-minister, the interchangeable members of a supporting cast.

Algalarrondo believes that Sarkozy’s actions are creating a cabinet à l'americaine. In other words, the personal advisors and friends with whom he chooses to surround himself are more important than the official government members themselves. These “Sarko boys” have the unprecedented authority to make statements to the press, indicating that they are not merely voices on the periphery, but actively accepted as major policy advisors.  Sarkozy prefers that they be older, ensuring that they aren’t a threat to his power. Four men, Claude Guéant, François Pérol, Raymond Soubie, and Patrick Ouart, are so intertwined in Sarkozy’s governing style that they have earned the nickname “The Four Musketeers”.

Is this an unconstitutional seizure of power or a natural evolution of government? One thing’s for sure: French politics will never be the same again.