France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and former prime minister Alain
Juppe will face off Thursday Oct 13,2016 in a televised debate ahead of a primary
widely seen as the main battle for the presidency.
The stakes are high in the race for the nomination of the main opposition Republicans party and its allies.
Pollsters say whoever emerges victorious from the November 20-27 contest is likely to meet -- and defeat -- far-right leader Marine Le Pen of the National Front in the second round of the election in May.
The brash Sarkozy, 61, is waging an uphill fight for a return to the office he held from 2007 to 2012, lagging far behind his mild-mannered 71-year-old rival in voter surveys.
Sarkozy has been accused of chasing after National Front voters, tapping into fears about immigration and Islam fuelled by a string of jihadist attacks that have killed over 230 people in France in the past two years.
Polls show Juppe, the longtime mayor of Bordeaux, enjoying a lead of between eight and 14 percentage points over his rival, with five other candidates trailing behind.
All seven will take part in Thursday's debate, the first of three before the first round of the primary on November 20. The two top vote-getters will then debate one-on-one before the November 27 run-off.
The stakes are high in the race for the nomination of the main opposition Republicans party and its allies.
Pollsters say whoever emerges victorious from the November 20-27 contest is likely to meet -- and defeat -- far-right leader Marine Le Pen of the National Front in the second round of the election in May.
The brash Sarkozy, 61, is waging an uphill fight for a return to the office he held from 2007 to 2012, lagging far behind his mild-mannered 71-year-old rival in voter surveys.
Sarkozy has been accused of chasing after National Front voters, tapping into fears about immigration and Islam fuelled by a string of jihadist attacks that have killed over 230 people in France in the past two years.
Polls show Juppe, the longtime mayor of Bordeaux, enjoying a lead of between eight and 14 percentage points over his rival, with five other candidates trailing behind.
All seven will take part in Thursday's debate, the first of three before the first round of the primary on November 20. The two top vote-getters will then debate one-on-one before the November 27 run-off.
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