Defeated Royal won't stand for French parliament

PARIS, May 11 (Reuters) France's defeated presidential candidate Segolene Royal today said she would not stand for re-election in next month's parliamentary ballot.

The decision could complicate her efforts to stamp her authority on the Socialist party, which faces internal strife following its third consecutive loss in a presidential election.

Royal is president of France's western Poitou-Charentes region and she made a point during the election campaign of saying politicians should only hold one elected office.

Royal said she had decided to stick to her principles and would renounce standing for re-election in her Deux-Sevres constituency, which she has represented since 1988.

''Despite my deep attachment for my constituency...I want to set an example and say that I don't change my mind according to the circumstances,'' Royal told reporters.

The Socialist party is widely expected to lose the parliamentary election, with opinion polls saying voters will hand president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy a strong majority.

Parliament is the natural platform for the leader of the opposition and Royal's absence will diminish her profile, but not necessarily her ambition to play a major role in the party.

Royal has made clear since the night of her defeat that she wanted to play a central role in the Socialist party, surprising some veterans who had expected her to retreat into the shadows.

Asked whether she now considered herself to be one of the opposition leaders, Royal said: ''It's obvious, I think'', without giving details on her future involvement inside the party.

''Given what happened during the presidential election, I think I have a responsibility to let know people know ... that I will remain present and that I am by their side...,'' she said.

''I think the Socialists have to stay united...People would be sickened if they saw a new fight at the top. I won't take part in that because I believe we have an election ahead of us.'' Royal tried to shunt France's hidebound Socialist party towards the centre of the political spectrum during her election campaign in a desperate effort to overtake Sarkozy.

Despite her defeat, many analysts believe the party must continue in this direction if it wants to regain power.

The Socialist party is currently headed by Francois Hollande, the father of Royal's four children.

An opinion poll today said 40 per cent of people thought Royal should lead the party campaign for the legislative vote.

The next highest score was 28 per cent for former finance minister Dominique Strauss Kahn, seen as the most moderate of the Socialist heavyweights.

He has already made clear his ambition to take over the party, attacking the strategic vision of Hollande, who took over as party chief following its 2002 presidential rout.

''The French have understood that (the party) has distanced itself from reality. They want a left that is real, efficient and concrete, not tied by an ideology that doles out yesterday's solutions,'' he said in a speech yesterday.

REUTERS AK KP2258