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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
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| France Socialists vote for Royal | France Socialists vote for Royal |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Segolene Royal will be the French Socialists' presidential candidate at elections next year, after beating two rivals in a ballot of party members. | |
| The 53-year-old mother-of-four hopes to become France's first woman leader. | |
| She won a clear victory over former Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn and ex-Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, thus avoiding a second round of voting. | |
| Ms Royal said she felt honoured by the result. "To be chosen in this way is something extraordinary," she said. | |
| Speaking shortly before her win was formally announced, she added: "The hour now is for unity." | |
| Both her rivals conceded victory, saying it was important for the Socialists to forget their differences and focus on the presidential campaign. | |
| 'Relentless contest' | |
| The BBC's Mark Mardell in Paris says Ms Royal's main opponent from the right is almost certain to be the Home Affairs Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, although he has not officially announced that he is a candidate yet. | |
| Profiles: Socialist rivals | |
| The next five months will see a relentless contest to be France's next head of state, our correspondent adds. | |
| Recent polls suggested Ms Royal would stand an even chance of beating Mr Sarkozy in the presidential poll - but her two rivals would not. | |
| The three contenders made bitter attacks on each other during the campaign. | The three contenders made bitter attacks on each other during the campaign. |
| If no candidate had achieved an overall majority of votes, there would have been a second round next week. | If no candidate had achieved an overall majority of votes, there would have been a second round next week. |
| But party officials said 60.6% of the party's 220,000 members had plumped for Ms Royal, a former environment minister. | |
| "The results show rather clearly the fact that there will only be one round, and we can say that Segolene Royal is already the candidate for the Socialist Party," said party official Stephane Le Foll, giving early results. | |
| Mr Strauss-Kahn took 20.8% of the vote and Mr Fabius 18.5%, he added later. | |
| 'Chauvinistic comments' | 'Chauvinistic comments' |
| Ms Royal's rivals tried to destabilise her campaign during the final days on the election trail. | |
| Teachers reacted angrily after a video appeared on the internet last week featuring a party meeting earlier this year in which she said they should work longer hours in school. | |
| Ms Royal responded by highlighting what she described as "chauvinistic comments" made by her rival candidates, something they strongly deny. | Ms Royal responded by highlighting what she described as "chauvinistic comments" made by her rival candidates, something they strongly deny. |
| Mr Strauss-Kahn attacked her policies as incoherent. | Mr Strauss-Kahn attacked her policies as incoherent. |
| Meanwhile, Mr Fabius said the destiny of the political left was at stake. | Meanwhile, Mr Fabius said the destiny of the political left was at stake. |
| The French government has set 22 April 2007 as the date for the presidential election. | The French government has set 22 April 2007 as the date for the presidential election. |