Royal gets boost as leftist rival quits French race

PARIS, Dec 10 (Reuters) Socialist candidate Segolene Royal got a boost today in her bid to become France's first woman president when a leftist rival abandoned plans to run and backed her instead in the 2007 election.

Jean-Pierre Chevenement, a former interior minister, was blamed by many Socialists for their disastrous showing in 2002 when their candidate finished third behind far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Chevenement, who heads the small Republican and Citizen Movement party (MRC), had threatened to run next year, but on Sunday said he was retiring from the race and would back Royal.

''No-one forced me to be a candidate. No-one forced me to withdraw my candidacy,'' he said, adding he had done a deal with the Socialists to help his party win seats in parliamentary elections next year.

Royal, 53, welcomed the news, saying: ''We share the same values ... the same convictions, the same rigour.'' The mother of four also stands to gain from the divisions amongst far left parties, who failed at the weekend to pick a joint ''anti-liberal'' presidential candidate.

The French Communist Party met anti-globalisation campaigners, Trotskyists and rebel socialists, hoping to revive the same unity that powered their successful opposition to the European Constitution in a 2005 referendum.

Recent polls predict far left candidates will win a combined vote of around 10-12 percent at the presidential elections, and many of their supporters had hoped they could pick a single candidate to help them forge a clear, strong message.

However, two days of talks failed to break the deadlock and the groups said they would consult their activists and try to find a way forward.

On the other side of the political spectrum, France's conservatives also struggled to maintain a unified front.

The ruling Union for a Popular Movement party (UMP) is not due to select its presidential candidate until next month, with Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy favoured to head the ticket.

However, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has indicated she might vie for the nomination and the party has organised three debates to thrash out ideas between the various potential candidates.

The first forum took place on Saturday, but Alliot-Marie later complained: ''I respected the rules, the others didn't.'' RUETERS PDS PM0155