Presidential contenders Royal and Sarkozy in TV debate clash

The two candidates to be France’s next president faced each other tonight in their first televised debate of the campaign before the weekend vote, and sparks flew almost from the start.

Segolene Royal, struggling in her quest to become France’s first woman president, immediately went on the offensive, criticising Nicolas Sarkozy’s record as a minister in President Jacques Chirac’s government before he became a candidate for the presidency.