text: Amid a presidential campaign that has been marred by scandal, conspiracy theories, and the spectre of a new far-right leader, disillusioned French voters have called for an outsider to join the race: Barack Obama. 
   
   A petition launched on Monday calls on the former US president to run in this year’s French elections, which will be held in April and May. Called Obama17, the petition aims to garner 1 million signatures by March 15th, and as of Friday morning, it had already gained 30,000, according to one of the people behind the effort. But even the people who launched the website acknowledge that the chances of Obama actually ascending to the Elysée Palace are virtually zero. French law requires presidential candidates to be French, which Obama is not. 
   
   But the impossibility of the campaign is also what inspired it. In a phone interview Thursday night, one of the people behind the petition, who asked only to be identified as “Antoine,” said he and three other friends decided to create the site out of frustration with France’s leading candidates and the campaigns they’ve run so far. 
   
   “We just wanted to say that we’ve had enough of all of these guys.” 
   
   “In a campaign where we only talk about the scandals of [center-right candidate François] Fillon or the rise of [far-right candidate Marine] Le Pen, at a certain moment we told ourselves well, why not?” Antoine said. “We just wanted to say that we’ve had enough of all of these guys.” 
   
   Antoine, who is in his 30s, says that he and his friends are not activists, and he doesn’t align himself with a particular political party. But he says he has grown tired of voting for the lesser of two evils in every presidential race, rather than a candidate who inspires genuine enthusiasm. “The only guy who’s ever made me feel that way is Obama,” he says. This week, he and his friends plastered some 500 Obama posters across Paris, each carrying the slogan: “Oui on peut” (“Yes we can”). 
   
   "Oui on peut" #obama17 #yeswecan #vivelarepublique #presidentielle #barakobama A post shared by McHautbois (@mchautbois) on Feb 22, 2017 at 12:28am PST 
   
   Antoine isn’t the first French voter to call for an Obama presidency; similar petitions were launched last year, as NPR notes. And although Antoine realizes that it may be a long time before France changes its citizenship requirement for presidents, he thinks it’s important to at least put forth the idea of a more globalized government — particularly given the nationalist, inward-looking rhetoric that has characterized Le Pen’s campaign. 
   
   “At a time when Amazon and Facebook and Apple are richer than our country, it’s stupid to think that it’s our nationalism that will make us better governed,” he says. “We would do better to pay people who are competent to fill important positions, rather than getting stuck with the same people we’ve had for 20 years.” 
   
   “The reality, of course, is that it will never happen,” he adds. “But in another world, in 100 years or 200 years, it may not be a problem.” ||||| A Citizens' Petition Calls For A New French President: Barack Obama 
   
   Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Obama 2017 Courtesy of Obama 2017 
   
   The French presidential campaign has been marked by scandal, surprises and upsets as the April election approaches. 
   
   Now a petition is calling for an even bigger plot twist: the return of President Barack Obama. As in, French President Barack Obama. 
   
   Earlier this week, the Obama 2017 campaign was launched, calling for the former U.S. president to step forward as a candidate in the French election while there's still time. 
   
   "Barack Obama has completed his second term as President of the United States," the site says. "Why not hire him as president of France? ... [He] has the best resume in the world for the job." 
   
   Posters for Obama 2017 have been plastered around Paris. The slogan, of course: "Oui on peut," French for "Yes we can." And a campaign-style website is gathering signatures to persuade Obama to run. 
   
   Europe Emmanuel Macron Emerges As A Front-Runner In French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron Emerges As Front-Runner In French Presidential Election Listen · 3:43 3:43 
   
   It's not the first time French citizens have expressed longing for Obama's leadership — at least two petitions were started last year — but it's by far the most successful. According to the site's organizers, some 27,000 people have signed the petition so far. 
   
   A group of four friends — "basic 30-year-old guys from Paris" who work in creative industries — came up with the idea "after a drink," according to one of the people behind the site. He asked NPR not to use his name, to avoid possible legal consequences that could damage his career. 
   
   "We were thinking about French politics and saying that we were fed up with the fact that we all the time had to vote against someone," he says, "and how it would be cool to be able to vote for someone we admire. We came up with Obama." 
   
   "I think the whole world would love to have him as president," he says. 
   
   toggle caption Courtesy of Obama 2017 
   
   We should note that in order to run for president in France, Obama would have to be naturalized as a French citizen. Also, he doesn't speak French — although Michelle Obama studied the language in college, according to a biography. 
   
   Anyway, that's not really the point. 
   
   "It's definitely a joke," says the co-creator of the site. "But it could make people think a little bit about what we could do differently in French politics. ... the idea was to make people wake up." 
   
   Obama 2017 isn't meant to rally support for any French candidate or party, he says — it's an expression of frustration about politicians in France in general. 
   
   "Always the same people, here for 20 years, coming up from the same schools, giving ministry [positions] to their friends," the co-creator says. 
   
   "We don't know politics," he says, referring to the group of friends behind the site. "We aren't coming with real stuff. We're just proposing something to make people think." 
   
   NPR has reached out to Obama's personal office for comment; so far, there has been no reply. ||||| Story highlights Organizers hope to get 1 million people to sign a petition 
   
   It's a joke with a serious purpose 
   
   (CNN) Could France elect Barack Obama president? Not really -- but that's not stopping the organizers of Obama17, a guerrilla campaign trying to entice the former U.S. president to head to Paris. 
   
   "It's totally crazy, but the cool thing is that once you get past that, you start thinking that maybe it's possible. Who cares that he's not French? He's Barack Obama," one of the campaign organizers told CNN. 
   
   They've launched a website and they put up 500 posters of Obama around Paris last weekend, said the organizer. He asked to be identified only as Antoine. 
   
   They're hoping to get 1 million people to sign a petition urging Obama to run. 
   
   Yes, it's a joke, he admits -- but one with a serious purpose. 
   
   Read More
target: – Barack Obama better get his Broadway fix while he can because if a couple dissatisfied French voters get their way, he'll soon have an important new job: president of France. CNN reports a campaign to elect Obama president of France sprung up in Paris this week featuring a website, petition, and more than 500 posters plastered around the city. The Obama17 campaign bears a familiar slogan to go with its familiar face, "Oui on peut," which translates to "Yes we can," according to NPR. The Verge reports the petition to make Obama the French president had 30,000 signatures by Friday morning despite one major stumbling block toward that goal: He's not a French citizen. Obama17 was started by two friends "after a drink," and while they admit it's a joke, they say it's one with a serious point: They're tired of the same French politicians running for office over and over and getting embroiled in scandals. One Obama17 organizer says he's sick of feeling like he's voting "against" someone instead of "for" someone, and Obama is the only politician who's ever inspired him. He might not be alone. Last year, a poll found 84% of French people trusted Obama to do the right thing on world issues, the Washington Post reports. "Who cares that he's not French? He's Barack Obama," one of the organizers tells CNN. The French begin voting for their next president April 23.