French countdown to birth of Bruni baby

FRANCE’S first lady Carla Bruni is expected to give birth any day soon, keeping French media on tenterhooks before an event that could offer President Nicolas Sarkozy a welcome respite from non-stop political headwinds.

The birth of a baby could help soften Sarkozy’s image with voters less than seven months before a presidential election he risks losing to Socialist frontrunner François Hollande, though pollsters say any boost would likely be brief.

Bruni’s due date is a closely guarded secret, but is widely believed to be already two weeks overdue, and media coverage surrounding her pregnancy has grown to fever pitch in what has become a national countdown to her delivery.