Campaign for French presidency intensifies

"Very dangerous for France," motivated purely by "her own glory" and proposing policies that will bring "economic catastrophes."

The latest tirade against Segolene Royal's troubled campaign to become France's first woman president came on Friday not from the Socialist's main rivals -- Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Bayrou -- but from a former colleague who until last month was part of the effort to help her win.

The vehement criticism from lawmaker Eric Besson was published in newspapers as the most closely watched election race in Europe this year approached the finishing stretch.

Friday night was the deadline for contenders to file the 500 endorsements they need to make the first-round ballot April 22.

At least 11 said they made the cut -- less than the record 16 candidates in the last presidential election in 2002. Sheep farmer and anti-globalization activist Jose Bove said he believed that he also had made it but was not sure. The Constitutional Council must check and validate the endorsements and will announce the official list of candidates on Monday.

A run-off between the top two vote-getters is scheduled for May 6.

Bayrou's meteoric rise in polls in recent weeks blew open what had been shaping up as two-horse race between Royal and Sarkozy of the governing right. Bayrou, a lawmaker and farmer, has sucked support from both sides by claiming the middle ground of France's left-right divide.

An Ipsos sounding of 1,008 people published on Friday had Bayrou and Royal polling 23 percent each, trailing Sarkozy on 29 percent. The margin of error for such a survey is around 3 percent.

Perhaps more worrying for Royal and Sarkozy was another poll of 1,000 people suggesting that many voters are tempted by Bayrou's vision of a unity government for France, with ministers drawn from across the political divide.

Royal and Sarkozy's camps both claim that Bayrou's plans are unworkable. Some warn that voters may turn to extremist parties for solutions if Bayrou were to win the presidency but then prove unable to govern France effectively. Yet the LH2 sounding, showing 65-percent support for a unity government, suggested that such warnings may be falling on deaf ears.

Royal and her campaign team played down the fierce critique from Besson, contained in a book -- Who knows Madame Royal? -- coming out next week. The newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro published extracts.

"If all those who are vexed write a book, we'll need to open a new library," said lawmaker Claude Bartolone, on Royal's press team.

Royal has suffered constant criticism from the right, focusing largely on foreign policy missteps, her leftist platform and accusations that she lacks the experience and stature to lead a nuclear-armed world power.

But Besson's tirade was notable for its force and because he is a former Socialist insider.

He quit as the party's secretary for the economy last month amid questions over how much Royal's policy promises and Sarkozy's would cost if implemented. A week later, Besson left the party entirely, saying that Royal's campaign is "badly organized."

In the new book of interviews, Besson goes much further.

"Only her own glory motivates her," Besson said.