Right-wing French presidential frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy has attacked Socialist rival Ségolène Royal for making "warlike" remarks that his election in a run-off ballot tomorrow could trigger riots.
In an interview released by Le Parisiendaily on its website late yesterday, Mr Sarkozy said such comments were anti-democratic and a sign of desperation by Ms Royal, who trailed Mr Sarkozy by 10 points in the last pre-vote polls.
French election rules meant Le Parisiencould not publish the Sarkozy interview in today's printed edition, as opinion polls and campaigning are banned on the eve of polling to ensure voters a "day of reflection" before the ballot.
But on its website the daily published the full text of the interview, in which Mr Sarkozy dismissed talk of rioting in France's tinderbox suburbs should he triumph today.
"To explain that if people don't vote for one candidate there will be violence is quite simply to refuse the democratic and republican expression of opinion," he told the daily. "We've never seen this before, never. It's a worrying form of intolerance," he said of Ms Royal's comment that "choosing Nicolas Sarkozy would be a dangerous choice".
Pressed as to whether there would actually be violence if Sarkozy won, Ms Royal told RTL radio: "I think so, I think so," referring to suburbs hit by rioting in 2005.
"This warlike language is the negation of basic democratic rules," Mr Sarkozy said. "No doubt it's because she's demoralised," he added, referring to polls which suggest he will win comfortably tomorrow.
Critics of Mr Sarkozy accuse him of heavy-handed policing as interior minister and say his jibe that young thugs were "scum" fuelled the rioting in multi-ethnic suburbs in 2005, the worst unrest in mainland France for 40 years.
Ms Royal went on the offensive during a fiery television debate between the two on Wednesday night.
Mr Sarkozy, portrayed as aggressive and ruthlessly ambitious by his opponents, questioned whether she was calm enough to be head of state. Two polls carried out yesterday gave him 55 per cent to 45 per cent for Royal, suggesting the Socialist will need a political tsunami to sweep away her rival if she is to become the first woman president of France.
British bookmaker William Hill said bets on the election had been pouring in, with big money going on Mr Sarkozy; one man had put Stg£18,900 pounds ($37,660) on him to win the presidency.
Mr Sarkozy topped the first round vote on April 22nd with 31.2 per cent of the ballot against 25.9 per cent for Ms Royal.