Frans verkiezingsdebat: scherp maar onbeslist (en)

BRUSSELS - Some 20 million French people tuned in on Wednesday evening (2 May) to watch a tense and insult-laden debate between the two candidates in Sunday's presidential election. The discussion was almost three hours long but produced no clear winner.

Incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy i tried to set the frame by saying that voters must be clear after the TV show on what each man plans to do in his five years in office.

He spent much of his time tearing into parts of socialist challenger Francois Hollande's programme - such as his intention to hire 60,000 new teachers.

Trailing by about six points in the polls, Sarkozy - generally agreed to have the sharper tongue - had more to gain from the TV appearance. He was the more aggressive of the two, interrupting often and looking impatient. He called Hollande's programme "spending madness."

Hollande, for his part, tried to keep the focus on Sarkozy's record in office. He noted that when Sarkozy took up power in 2007 he had said that not getting unemployment down to five percent would be a failure. "Well, it's a failure," said Hollande.

He also accused Sarkozy of favouring the rich. "As President of the Republic," Hollande said - a phrase he repeated 16 times - "I will make sure my behaviour is exemplary."

The two politicians disagreed on virtually every subject - nuclear energy, immigration, how to unite French people, what constitutes a rich person and how to deal with the economic crisis.

"You want fewer rich, I want fewer poor, that's the difference between us Mr Hollande," said Sarkozy.

"I protect the children of the republic, you protect the privileged," the challenger replied.

Sarkozy said he would balance France's budget by 2016, Hollande said a year later, but each accused the other of being unclear on how to do it. "I haven't heard you specify one way of cutting spending," said Sarkozy.

While Sarkozy publicly distanced himself from Berlin during his campaign, Germany's economic model featured often in the debate.

When Hollande held up Germany as a comparison for economically-weaker France, Sarkozy noted that Germany is doing better because of economic reforms introduced under socialist former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. He asked Hollande why he was against the policies that have made Germany so successful.

The debate was also remarkable for the level of personal animosity. When Sarkozy mentioned during at heated exchange on how best to united French citizens that he was "proud" there had been "no violence" in his five years in power, Hollande retorted: "What ever seems to happen, you are happy."

He also accused Sarkozy of never taking responsibility for his actions: "It's never your fault."

Sarkozy at times said Hollande is "lying" and called him a "little slanderer."

The debate at times became pedantic, with each accusing the other of getting pertinent facts wrong. But neither Sarkozy nor Hollande dealt a fatal blow.

Asked who had 'won' the debate, Francoise Fressoz, a lead writer at the Le Monde newspaper said this was "difficult to answer" because it was unclear whether the discussion convinced those who remained undecided: "It was generally very technical."

Campaigning will officially stop on Friday night ahead of the opening of polls on Sunday morning.