 A Citizens' Petition Calls For A New French President: Barack Obama 
 
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 The French presidential campaign has been marked by scandal, surprises and upsets as the April election approaches. 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. 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. 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. 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. This week, he and his friends plastered some 500 Obama posters across Paris, each carrying the slogan: “Oui on peut” (“Yes we can”). “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.
– 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.