Sarkozy's shortlist: 5ft 5in French President packs stage with tiny staff to make himself look taller



It's hard work looking like an imposing statesman when you're only 5ft 5in.

Nicolas Sarkozy has resorted to standing on a box and even rising on to his tiptoes to disguise his height - or rather the lack of it.

But for a televised speech at a major industrial plant, the French President and his aides were taking no chances.

Height of cheek: The specially chosen group listen intently as President Sarkozy speaks

Size matters: The president is visibly relieved as he mounts the stage

They found 20 of the site's shortest workers to stand behind Mr Sarkozy as he delivered the keynote address.

They were bussed in from all over the Faurecia motor technology plant near Caen in Normandy after aides made sure none exceeded Mr Sarkozy's 5ft 5in.

However, yesterday the strategy was exposed by a worker at the site who admitted she had been chosen because she was short.

A TV journalist asked the woman researcher: 'Is it true you were all picked to appear alongside the president because of your height?'



The group all admitted that they were among the smallest members of the 1400-strong Faurecia workforce

When the woman answered yes, she was asked: 'Because you shouldn't be taller than the president?' She answered 'Exactly that.'



TV pictures were then shown of the 20 workers on board a coach which brought them in from other parts of the Faurecia site.



Sarkozy stands on a platform while speaking at the 65th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in June

All admitted that they were among the smallest members of the 1,400-strong workforce, and had been selected to replace the usual staff in the unit where Mr Sarkozy made his speech about the car industry.

Mr Sarkozy, who is notoriously sensitive about his height, did not want a repeat of the fiasco in June when he was caught using a footstool when delivering a speech alongside Gordon Brown and Barack Obama during the D-Day commemorations.



Both the 5ft 11in Prime Minister and 6ft 2in American towered above him when they used the same podium.

When Mr Sarkozy, 54, and his wife Carla Bruni, 41, met up with Mr Obama and his wife Michelle in the French city of Strasbourg earlier this year, Mr Sarkozy was again widely mocked for standing on tiptoes during a photo shoot.

This time Mr Sarkozy has been accused of manipulating his media image for political ends.

'Mr Sarkozy wants to look like a tall, impressive statesman and thinks nothing of altering reality to suit this,' said another Faurecia worker.

An Elysee Palace spokesman denied the accusation: 'It's totally absurd and grotesque.'