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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Eleven in French presidency race | Eleven in French presidency race |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| At least 11 candidates are set to run in the French presidential election. | At least 11 candidates are set to run in the French presidential election. |
| As the deadline for registration passed, it remained unclear if the anti-globalisation farmer Jose Bove managed to get enough signatures. | |
| At least 500 signatures from elected officials are needed to run in the 22 April presidential election. | At least 500 signatures from elected officials are needed to run in the 22 April presidential election. |
| More than 20 politicians have been campaigning in the race. Centre-right leader Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist leader Segolene Royal are frontrunners. | More than 20 politicians have been campaigning in the race. Centre-right leader Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist leader Segolene Royal are frontrunners. |
| A record 16 candidates were on the ballot in the last election, in 2002. | A record 16 candidates were on the ballot in the last election, in 2002. |
| There is no problem for candidates of parties with many elected officials, like Mr Sarkozy of the ruling centre-right UMP, Ms Royal of the Socialist Party, Francois Bayrou of the centrist UDF, or Marie-George Buffet, head of the Communist Party. | There is no problem for candidates of parties with many elected officials, like Mr Sarkozy of the ruling centre-right UMP, Ms Royal of the Socialist Party, Francois Bayrou of the centrist UDF, or Marie-George Buffet, head of the Communist Party. |
| Others, like Jean-Marie Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front, or Olivier Besancenot of the Communist Revolutionary League, have been struggling to collect the necessary endorsements. | Others, like Jean-Marie Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front, or Olivier Besancenot of the Communist Revolutionary League, have been struggling to collect the necessary endorsements. |
| Many small-town mayors do not want their names to be associated with candidates of the extreme right, or the extreme left. | Many small-town mayors do not want their names to be associated with candidates of the extreme right, or the extreme left. |
| Royal under pressure | Royal under pressure |
| Both Mr Le Pen and Mr Besancenot have called the current system "undemocratic". | Both Mr Le Pen and Mr Besancenot have called the current system "undemocratic". |
| Segolene Royal has been savaged in a new book | Segolene Royal has been savaged in a new book |
| The Constitutional Council will now start checking all the signatures. Then it will compile the list of candidates, to be printed on all ballots for the first round. | The Constitutional Council will now start checking all the signatures. Then it will compile the list of candidates, to be printed on all ballots for the first round. |
| A second round of voting is almost certain to be needed, as no candidate is likely to win an outright majority in the first round. | A second round of voting is almost certain to be needed, as no candidate is likely to win an outright majority in the first round. |
| Opinion polls show centrist candidate Mr Bayrou catching up with Mr Sarkozy and Ms Royal. | Opinion polls show centrist candidate Mr Bayrou catching up with Mr Sarkozy and Ms Royal. |
| Pressure on Ms Royal has increased, with a book written by a former top Socialist economic adviser accusing her of incompetence and arrogance. | Pressure on Ms Royal has increased, with a book written by a former top Socialist economic adviser accusing her of incompetence and arrogance. |
| "Segolene Royal should not become president of the republic," Eric Besson wrote in a book quoted by French newspapers. | "Segolene Royal should not become president of the republic," Eric Besson wrote in a book quoted by French newspapers. |
| Mr Sarkozy has also suffered a setback, with his ministerial colleague Azouz Begag announcing his support for Mr Bayrou. | Mr Sarkozy has also suffered a setback, with his ministerial colleague Azouz Begag announcing his support for Mr Bayrou. |
| Mr Begag, who is equal opportunities minister and of Algerian descent, called Mr Sarkozy's proposal for a ministry for immigration and national identity "indecent". | Mr Begag, who is equal opportunities minister and of Algerian descent, called Mr Sarkozy's proposal for a ministry for immigration and national identity "indecent". |