Presidential front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy said months of campaigning had made him think of France as a person, while rival Segolene Royal called herself a free woman and said election victory was within reach.

Presidential hopefuls Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal tonight urged their supporters to make a final push before voters go the polls on Sunday.

French presidential candidates Segolene Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy will face off today in their only televised debate.

Tomorrow sees the start of the most fascinating French presidential election in decades, reports Europe Correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Extreme-right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen today stepped up his criticism of the European Union and its symbols, calling the euro “the currency of occupation” in France.

Iconic French farmer and anti-globalisation activist Jose Bove today announced he is running for president of France, a move that could further split the country’s divided left.

Segolene Royal began her campaign to become France’s first woman president in style, decisively beating two rivals to wrap up the nomination for the main opposition Socialist Party in a single round of voting.

FORMER French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin yesterday said he would not seek to become the Socialist Party’s candidate for presidential elections next year.

Britain had Margaret Thatcher, Germany has Angela Merkel. Could France get Segolene Royal?

President Jacques Chirac promised to correct failings in France’s health service today in his first public comments about a heat wave that his government said probably killed 10,000 people.

The recent legal assault by our EU partner Britain, on the low rate of Irish corporation tax should not surprise us. Indeed, the increase of Irish Corporation Tax or "tax harmonisation" is the stated policy of many EU politicians.

France’s mainstream right has won a solid victory in a first-round parliamentary vote, putting newly re-elected president Jacques Chirac on course to push through his pro-business, tough-on-crime agenda.

President Jacques Chirac’s coalition of mainstream rightist parties appeared to be heading to take control of France’s parliament following a first-round vote today, exit polls showed.

Voters were making a preliminary choice today between France’s invigorated conservatives and its squabbling leftists amid signs the apathy that helped an extremist qualify for a presidential run-off last month might be returning.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin tonight named France’s first centre-right Cabinet in five years, selecting a veteran diplomat to lead the Foreign Ministry and for the first time a woman as head of defence.

French President Jacques Chirac has named conservative senator Jean-Pierre Raffarin as the country’s new Prime Minister.

After winning a landslide victory in France, conservative President Jacques Chirac now faces the challenge of winning over the electorate that banded together to support him over his far-right opponent.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has officially announced his resignation, paving the way for President Jacques Chirac to name a successor.

After a two-week campaign that mobilised France, conservative President Jacques Chirac today appeared likely to win his re-election bid against far-right contender Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Jean Marie Le Pen prepared his supporters for defeat at his final press conference in Paris yesterday.

French President Jacques Chirac appealed today to left-wing voters, asking for their help to defeat National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Jean-Marie Le Pen says he fears he is an assassination target.

French police have fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators who gathered in Paris for a second consecutive night to protest against Jean-Marie Le Pen’s showing in the first round of the presidential election.

Defeated French presidential hopefuls on both left and right are endorsing Jacques Chirac for the second-round vote.

A furious war of words erupted between nationalists at Stormont today after an SDLP minister claimed the French presidential election should serve as a reminder to those alarmed at the prospect of further Sinn Fein and DUP gains at the ballot box.

Defeated French presidential hopefuls on both left and right are endorsing Jacques Chirac for the second-round vote.

There was shock and surprise across Europe today at the success of Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of France’s presidential election.

The leader of France’s extreme right National Front party Jean Marie Le Pen has achieved a stunning first round presidential election result forcing voters to choose between him and conservative incumbent Jacques Chirac.

France went going to the polls today in the first round of a presidential contest notable for its lacklustre campaigning and widespread voter apathy.

A French farmer shot dead a policeman today after opening fire with a Kalashnikov rifle inside a police station in western France following a road rage incident.

Around 14,000 people have paid tribute to eight officials who died when a gunman opened fire at a council meeting in France.

At least eight people died and 18 were injured early today when a gunman opened fire near the city hall of a Paris suburb.

French premier Lionel Jospin, the socialist’s presidential candidate, today unveiled what he called his ‘‘ambition for France.’’

French President Jacques Chirac will announce his bid for re-election in early March, a member of his conservative party said today.

The European Union’s highest court ruled today that France is breaking European Union law by maintaining a ban on British beef over fears that it is not safe from mad cow disease.

Two French radio journalists have been killed when their convoy was ambushed in north-east Afghanistan.

Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen today deplored the exclusion of smaller EU nations from a summit called by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and said they will protest at such separate meetings.

Tony Blair was gearing up today for another week of hectic diplomacy in an efforts to maintain the international consensus for the military action against Afghanistan.

The Taliban has ceased to function as an effective government, America claimed tonight as the rebel Northern Alliance stepped up its assault on one of the regime’s key strategic strongholds.

Osama bin Laden today continued to taunt the United States-led coalition ranged against him with a new video message accusing the allies of ‘‘exterminating’’ innocent Afghan civilians.

Tony Blair has ‘‘no regrets’’ about his fraught diplomatic mission to the Middle East, despite failing to achieve any great breakthrough in the peace process, Downing Street said today.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin says the fight against terror is a "common imperative" for all democracies, and France was committed to supporting a US retaliation.

Ten people have died and more than 200 hurt after a massive explosion at a fertiliser plant in France.

French President Jacques Chirac has responded angrily to a prosecutor’s ruling that he can be questioned as a witness in a scandal involving cash payments for personal trips while he was mayor.