Bitter rivals rush to back Chirac

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

It is part of a concerted effort to keep power out of the hands of extreme right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. Chirac, a conservative, and the anti-immigrant Le Pen will face each other in the run-off vote on May 5.

Le Pen's second-place finish in the first round dealt a blow to Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who came in third. Now, a few defeated candidates have asked backers to transfer their support to Chirac - a request that, for some, would once have been unimaginable.

"We're facing a choice that could be considered impossible," Green Party candidate Noel Mamere told supporters. "To block the extreme right, we must resolve to vote Chirac in the second round."