French centrist Bayrou rebuffs presidential rivals

Paris, Apr 25 (Reuters) French centrist Francois Bayrou rejected overtures from presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal today, lambasting both candidates and refusing to advise supporters who to back in the May 6 election.

Bayrou, who took 7 million votes in the first round of the election on Sunday to finish third ahead of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, had been assiduously courted by both camps eager to win the backing of the ''third man'' of French politics.

But he had stinging words for both candidates, saying that right-wing former interior minister Sarkozy risked exacerbating social tensions in France while Royal would worsen France's serious economic problems.

''I have worries about both of them,'' he told a news conference.

''And I am convinced that many French people have the same worries as I do.'' Bayrou, who aims to create a new centre bloc in France, said Sarkozy, who took 31.2 percent of the vote on Sunday and Royal, who took 25.9 percent, had both called him since Sunday's election but he had not spoken to either of them.

He announced plans for a new centrist party, with the provisional name of the Democratic Party, which would contest the parliamentary elections in June and said he was ready for a public debate with both Sarkozy and Royal.

Royal proposed a debate on Friday before regional media.

Bayrou had been expected to withhold endorsement for the two candidates but he made no attempt to conceal his opinion of the two, opening fire on both candidates.

''I believe Nicolas Sarkozy will worsen the problem of democracy and social fracture,'' he said. ''Segolene Royal, through her programme will worsen durably the economic problems and both will unbalance the deficit and debt,'' he said.

''ANYONE BUT SARKO'' The latest opinion polls continue to give Sarkozy, the clear winner on Sunday, an edge. But a TNS Sofres poll commissioned by conservative daily Le Figaro and published in its today's edition showed his lead down to just two percentage points.

Another poll by the Ipsos institute gave him a much more comfortable lead of some 7 points.

With the campaign in its final stages, jobs, security and immigration are still the main issues but the focus has moved more and more to personality.

Bayrou was unusually severe towards Sarkozy, whom he compared to Italian media tycoon and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

''Nicolas Sarkozy, by his proximity to business and media circles, by his taste for intimidation and threats, will concentrate power like it has never been concentrated before,'' he said.

''I think there are similarities between Berlusconi and Nicolas Sarkozy.'' He was less cutting about Royal but he was dismissive of her economic programme, which he said went ''in totally the opposite direction of what is required to give our country and its economy its creativity and balance.'' According to the TNS Sofres survey, 46 percent of Bayrou's voters support Royal, against 25 percent for Sarkozy and 29 percent who have yet to make up their minds, although other polls have showed support roughly evenly split.

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