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Royal to unveil French manifesto France's Royal unveils manifesto
(about 9 hours later)
The Socialist candidate in France's presidential elections, Segolene Royal, is to launch her manifesto in Paris. The Socialist candidate in France's presidential election, Segolene Royal, has launched her manifesto in Paris.
Ms Royal has been criticised for delaying her programme while she conducted what she called a period of consultation with the French people. She announced a 100-point platform with a strong emphasis on social programmes, promising a higher minimum wage and the construction of more low-rent housing.
She has recently fallen in the opinion polls behind her right-wing rival Nicolas Sarkozy. Ms Royal has been criticised for delaying the release of her platform until just 10 weeks before the first round of elections.
Her speech before party delegates in a Paris suburb is being widely seen as a defining moment in the campaign. She has fallen behind her right-wing rival Nicolas Sarkozy in opinion polls.
Segolene Royal was the political star of the second half of last year in France. Ms Royal unveiled her "presidential pact" in front of a cheering crowd of Socialist Party delegates who frequently broke into chants of "Segolene, president!"
She had a meteoric rise thanks to her crowd-pleasing campaigning skills and trounced two more senior party figures in the Socialist domination for April's election. "I feel today I can propose to you something more than a platform," she said.
"A pact of honour, a presidential pact that I propose to everyone, the most vulnerable and the strong, those who have been our supporters all along and those who have not, because France needs all its people."
Many of the 100 points already feature in the Socialist Party's election programme released last year.
Others, such as proposals to set up citizens' juries to evaluate the work of the National Assembly and military-style boot camps for young offenders are new ideas.
'Listening phase''Listening phase'
But since the new year things have begun to unravel. There have been gaffes, signs of internal dissent and Nicolas Sarkozy has surged ahead in the polls. Ms Royal said she wanted to boost the monthly minimum wage from 1,250 euros ($1,625, £834) to 1,500 euros, and build 120,000 low-rent homes every year.
Many in Segolene Royal's own camp are worried that she badly damaged her chances by refusing until now to spell out what she will actually do if she becomes France's first woman president. Ms Royal spoke to a crowd of enthusiastic supportersBenefits for the unemployed would be raised and pensions increased for low-income retirees.
That is because for the last three months she has been engaged in what she calls the listening phase of her campaign conducted via the internet and thousands of public meetings across the country. Ms Royal has defended her decision to delay the release of her manifesto, saying she had been in a "listening phase" - gathering ideas from the people of France via the internet and thousands of public meetings across the country.
That phase has come to an end and Segolene Royal says she is now ready to draw on what she has heard from the people to announce her manifesto. Segolene Royal was France's political star of the second half of last year in France.
If she fails to deliver then the critics who say she is a populist with no ideas of her own, will feel vindicated. She had a meteoric rise thanks to her crowd-pleasing campaigning skills and trounced two more senior party figures in the Socialist domination for April's election.
On the other hand a tough speech with enough original proposals combined with a passionate attack on the right, could turn the polls back in her favour. But since the New Year things have begun to unravel, reports Hugh Schofield. There have been gaffes, signs of internal dissent and Nicolas Sarkozy has surged ahead in the polls.