PARIS (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Francois Hollande were set to clash in their only television debate on Wednesday seen as the conservative incumbent’s last chance to turn the odds of re-election in his favour.

Trailing Hollande in opinion polls for Sunday’s decisive runoff despite an aggressive campaign and a lurch to the right to appeal to far-right votes, Sarkozy billed the prime-time debate as the “moment of truth” in the race.

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy will go into a televised election debate against Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande as a “challenger” as he battles to avoid defeat in Sunday’s runoff poll, a senior aide said.

The conservative president and his centre-left rival have been at each other’s throats for months, with Sarkozy accusing Hollande of being incompetent and a liar, and Hollande calling the incumbent a “failed president” and “a nasty piece of work”.

PARIS, May 2 (Reuters) – Nicolas Sarkozy faces Francois
Hollande in a “moment of truth” television debate on Wednesday
that could be the French president’s last chance to avoid defeat
at the hands of his Socialist challenger in Sunday’s election
runoff.

The conservative president and his centre-left rival have
been at each other’s throats for months, with Sarkozy accusing
Hollande of being incompetent and a liar, and Hollande calling
the incumbent a “failed president” and “a nasty piece of work”.

PARIS, May 2 (Reuters) – Nicolas Sarkozy faces Francois
Hollande in a “moment of truth” television debate on Wednesday
that could be the French president’s last chance to avoid defeat
at the hands of his socialist challenger in Sunday’s election
runoff.

The conservative president and his centre-left rival have
been at each other’s throats for months, with Sarkozy accusing
Hollande of being incompetent and a liar and Hollande calling
the incumbent a “failed president” and “a nasty piece of work”.

PARIS, April 30 (Reuters) – A resurgent French far-right is
playing into the hands of Socialist presidential candidate
Francois Hollande, who is cruising into Sunday’s runoff vote
freed of having to make concessions to a weakened hard left.

Hollande no longer needs to risk losing centrist votes by
appealing to hard-left voters after their candidate faded in the
first round. By contrast, a campaign by incumbent Nicolas
Sarkozy to win back conservative voters after a strong far-right
showing seems to be failing.

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for tougher borders and a stronger national identity on Sunday and accused the left of petty slander as he struggled to catch up with his Socialist rival a week before a presidential runoff.

Sarkozy, who lags his centre-left challenger Francois Hollande by 10 points in opinion polls for the May 6 vote, hammered home a message aimed at the nearly one-in-five far-right voters whose support he needs to win a second term.

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Socialist presidential frontrunner Francois Hollande said on Wednesday that leaders across Europe were awaiting his election to back away from German-inspired austerity, and he welcomed a call by ECB President Mario Draghi for a growth pact.

Hollande says a budget discipline treaty signed by 25 EU leaders in March would plunge Europe into a deep recession.

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Socialist presidential frontrunner Francois Hollande said on Wednesday that leaders across Europe were awaiting his election to back away from German-inspired austerity, and he welcomed a call by ECB President Mario Draghi for a growth pact.

Hollande says a budget discipline treaty signed by 25 EU leaders in March would plunge Europe into a deep recession.

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy ruled out any deal with the far-right National Front of Marine Le Pen, backed by nearly a fifth of voters in a presidential election first round, to give them cabinet jobs or help them win seats in parliament.

An opinion poll showed two-thirds of Sarkozy supporters want him to break with past policy and strike an alliance with the Front after Le Pen’s 17.9 percent score on Sunday made her 6.4 million backers key to a May 6 presidential runoff.

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy ruled out any deal with the far-right National Front of Marine Le Pen, backed by nearly a fifth of voters in a presidential election first round, to give them cabinet jobs or help them win seats in parliament.

An opinion poll showed two-thirds of Sarkozy supporters want him to break with past policy and strike an alliance with the Front after Le Pen’s 17.9 percent score on Sunday made her 6.4 million backers key to a May 6 presidential runoff.