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Sarkozy awaits party nomination Sarkozy nod for presidential run
(about 6 hours later)
The French centre-right will elect their candidate for the presidential elections on Sunday - UMP party leader and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The French centre-right has elected UMP party leader and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as their candidate for the presidential polls.
The 51-year-old is being elected by party members via an internet vote and - as the only candidate - is expected to receive at least 80% of the ballots. The 51-year-old was chosen by party members via an internet vote, but received just 69% of the vote, despite being the only candidate.
President Jacques Chirac will not be there, while several senior party figures have said they will abstain. Some 327,000 UMP members could vote. Many attended a lavish rally in Paris.
Some 327,000 members of the governing UMP are eligible to vote. But President Jacques Chirac was not present, while several senior party figures had said they would abstain.
Nicolas Sarkozy is aiming for a show of unity, despite the bitter divisions at the top of the UMP. The BBC's Caroline Wyatt, in Paris, says Mr Sarkozy was aiming for a show of unity, despite bitter divisions at the top of the UMP.
This is the party that was originally created to bring President Chirac to power but Mr Sarkozy has turned it into his own party machine - taking over the UMP leadership in 2004 and now becoming its unchallenged candidate for the election campaign. However, the result was not the overwhelming vote of confidence Mr Sarkozy would have liked - and there was surprise on his face when it was announced, our correspondent says.
He has invited 50,000 of the party faithful to cheer him on this Sunday, as he tries to rally the French centre-right ahead of what will be a tough battle against the popular Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal. The UMP party was originally created to bring President Chirac to power.
But Mr Sarkozy has turned it into his own party machine - taking over the UMP leadership in 2004 and now becoming its unchallenged candidate for the election campaign.
Tens of thousands of party faithful cheered him on at a lavish rally in Paris.
Ahead of the result, Mr Sarkozy told supporters: "Here we are tolerant, we are respectful and we have understood that a big family is a collection of differing opinions but I ask you to respect each other, I ask you to come together, and I ask you to greet warmly everyone who comes here, because I will need everyone who comes here, you will need them, France will need them."
He is trying to rally the French centre-right ahead of what will be a tough battle against the popular Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal, our correspondent says.
Voters dividedVoters divided
But the conference itself has been overshadowed by Mr Chirac's refusal to attend. But the conference itself was overshadowed by Mr Chirac's refusal to attend.
While Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has made it clear that he will be there, he will not be voting for Mr Sarkozy nor staying on to hear his speech in the afternoon. While Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin made a brief appearance, he was not voting for Mr Sarkozy nor staying on to hear his speech in the afternoon.
The French are equally divided on Mr Sarkozy.The French are equally divided on Mr Sarkozy.
As a hardline interior minister, who has been tough on crime and illegal immigration, he will win few votes in the political centre or on the left. As a hardline interior minister, who has been tough on crime and illegal immigration, he will win few votes in the political centre or on the left, our correspondent says.
His pledges to reform France and to make the French work harder and longer are not popular with everyone, even if many voters are aware that the country cannot ignore globalisation nor continue to live beyond its means.His pledges to reform France and to make the French work harder and longer are not popular with everyone, even if many voters are aware that the country cannot ignore globalisation nor continue to live beyond its means.