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| France's Socialists in TV debate | |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| Three candidates vying for the French Socialist Party's nomination in next year's presidential election have gone on TV to debate their policies. | |
| Former Environment Minister Segolene Royal, the front-runner, faced ex-Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn and ex-PM Laurent Fabius. | |
| Tuesday's televised debate was the first of three between the contenders. | |
| The Socialists' candidate, to be chosen in November, is likely to face current Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. | The Socialists' candidate, to be chosen in November, is likely to face current Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. |
| Mr Sarkozy is the leader of the conservative UMP party. | Mr Sarkozy is the leader of the conservative UMP party. |
| Large lead | Large lead |
| As well as the three debates broadcast on television, the contenders are expected to take part in three public debates. | |
| If there are too many debates... I reserve the right not to take part in them Segolene Royal Profile: Socialist rivals | |
| The BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says there were few sparks in Tuesday's two-hour debate. | |
| Filmed in a cable TV studio without an audience, there was no opportunity for the rivals to interrupt each other as they answered questions on the economy sent in by Socialist party members. | |
| Ms Royal, who is enjoying a 39% lead over her Socialist opponents, spoke largely about the need for France to rejuvenate its economy and to invest in new technology and research. | |
| Mr Strauss-Kahn called for new talks between business and unions and for a reduction of France's debt. | |
| Mr Fabius attacked France's "inequality and injustice" and "global financial hyper-capitalism". | |
| Critics accuse Ms Royal of being a political lightweight who is rich on style but poor on ideas, our correspondent says, but she proved she could hold her own against the Socialist old guard. | |
| Weeks were spent agreeing a format for the debates, with Mr Strauss-Kahn and Mr Fabius arguing for lengthy confrontations on TV, and Ms Royal pushing for the encounters to less aggressive and more low-key. | |
| Ms Royal had warned that too many debates could damage the party by making it appear divided in the eyes of the electorate. | Ms Royal had warned that too many debates could damage the party by making it appear divided in the eyes of the electorate. |
| "If there are too many debates... I reserve the right not to take part in them. I will go if necessary," the Reuters news agency quotes her as saying. | "If there are too many debates... I reserve the right not to take part in them. I will go if necessary," the Reuters news agency quotes her as saying. |