The Socialist candidate for the office of mayor of Paris, Mr Bertrand Delanoe, outshone his Gaullist rival. Mr Philippe Seguin in a live television debate last night.
The debate was the high point of the lacklustre campaign preceding nationwide municipal elections on March 11th and 19th.
Opinion polls indicate that Mr Seguin, the candidate for the Gaullist RPR party founded by President Jacques Chirac, will lose to Mr Delanoe.
The Socialist politician said he refuses to see the Paris election as a national contest. But for Mr Chirac's party to lose the capital - which it has ruled for the last quarter century - one year before legislative and presidential elections will be a terrible blow to the President.
Mr Seguin warned Parisians against "giving their city to the Socialist party".
Mr Delanoe would also be the first mayor of a major French city to openly admit his homosexuality. When the Gaullists earlier asked who would be first lady of Paris in the event of a Socialist victory, Mr Delanoe said they were hitting below the belt.
During their hour-long debate on the themes of transparency, children, the environment, security and the budget, the two men lived up to their reputation as the Laurel and Hardy of French politics. Mr Delanoe is tall and thin with bags under his eyes; Mr Seguin short and fat with bags under his eyes.
But all resemblance ended there. Mr Delanoe was confident and well-prepared. He made clear proposals for a tramway system around Paris and increasing the number of nursery schools. He repeatedly reminded Mr Seguin that "the outgoing majority", led by the Gaullist Mayor Mr Jean Tiberi, has failed to solve the problems of Parisians.
Mr Tiberi has been named a suspect in several investigations into corruption. He defied the RPR by refusing to step down gracefully, thus dividing the right-wing vote in the election. French television executives engaged in public soul-searching after Mr Tiberi and the Green candidate, Mr Yves Contassot, bitterly complained at being excluded from last night's debate.
Mr Seguin, the former president of the French National Assembly, was arrogant and sarcastic. Each time he insulted Mr Delanoe, the Gaullist candidate screwed up his eyes and bared his teeth in crocodile-like laughter. He read statements and answers and plunged into obscure arguments not understood by viewers.
