Battle heats up to woo centre in fight to lead France
The battle between French conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal heated up today as their camps tried tactics to woo voters in the political centre – the key decision-makers in the presidential race.
Centrist candidate Francois Bayrou is no longer in the running, but his strong third-place showing in Sunday’s first round of balloting could make him a kingmaker if he throws his support behind the law-and-order former interior minister or to the leftist with a chance of being France’s first woman president.
Polls show Mr Sarkozy is in the lead, but Ms Royal still has a fighting chance in the May 6 run-off.
Both are dynamic figures in their fifties who have rekindled interest in politics after 12 years under Jacques Chirac that left voters with a stagnant economy and a low mood about France’s place in the world.
Francois Fillon, one of Sarkozy’s advisers, reached out to middle-ground voters today by telling Le Figaro newspaper that Sarkozy’s camp would form a government with figures from beyond their conservative political party UMP.
Ms Royal, who previously dismissed calls for an alliance with Mr Bayrou, appealed to him yesterday, saying she was available for a public dialogue.
AP
