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| French 'kingmaker' snubs rivals | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Defeated French centrist Francois Bayrou has said he will not back either of the remaining candidates in the French presidential election. | Defeated French centrist Francois Bayrou has said he will not back either of the remaining candidates in the French presidential election. |
| Mr Bayrou came third in Sunday's first round with 18% of the vote. | Mr Bayrou came third in Sunday's first round with 18% of the vote. |
| He said he could not back either candidate as their current policies would not help the country. | He said he could not back either candidate as their current policies would not help the country. |
| Nicolas Sarkozy, who took 31.2% of the vote, and Segolene Royal - 25.9% - are both standing in the second round of the election on Sunday 6 May. | Nicolas Sarkozy, who took 31.2% of the vote, and Segolene Royal - 25.9% - are both standing in the second round of the election on Sunday 6 May. |
| Mr Bayrou said he had accepted Ms Royal's offer to hold a political debate, and said he would accommodate a similar request from Mr Sarkozy should it be forthcoming. | |
| "I will not give any advice on how to vote," he said at a long-awaited news conference. | |
| When asked what his personal vote would be, he said he had not made up his mind yet. | |
| He also announced he would create a new party, the Democratic Party. He had up till now been leader of the Union for French Democracy (UDF). |