Managers at the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) desperately sought to patch up the rift by arranging talks between the party chief and his two main antagonists, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, but attempts to fix a meeting Wednesday came to nothing.

Hostile from the start to the UMP leader's presidential ambitions, the so-called 'Chiraciens' want to keep alive the chance of an alternative centre-right contender at April's election, and accuse Sarkozy, 51, of turning the party into his personal electoral machine.

Angry Sarkozistes retorted Tuesday that the Gaullist old guard is destroying the centre-right's only serious chance of victory against a resurgent Socialist Party (PS).

"Sarkozy is a machine for winning ... So it is unsettling to see the person who is our best hope at the presidentials being gratuitously attacked on the basis of personal whims and interests," said UMP deputy Eric Woerth.

"When we have a candidate who has it in him to win the election, it is unacceptable for a minority in the party to have fun helping him lose," said another, Claude Goasguen.

But Hervé Mariton, who is close to Villepin, said that free discussion should not be subordinated to the interests of the party.

"The UMP must have the humility and intelligence to understand that it cannot alone fill the space need for debate in advance of the election," he said in a clear swipe at Sarkozy.

Tensions have burst to the fore since Royal, 53, beat two more experienced contenders in what the PS trumpeted as a triumph for democratic debate, and amid growing pressure for the UMP to bring forward its own nomination process in order to get back in the headlines.

On Thursday Alliot-Marie was booed by Sarkozy supporters during a meeting of UMP officials, and on Monday a 'Chiracien' government minister - François Goulard - openly accused Sarkozy of "refusing to allow political debate" and being "incapable of allowing ideas that are different from his own."

Sarkozy, who is also interior minister, is almost certain of election by the UMP's 293,000 members before a party congress on January 14. According to a new IPSOS poll, 77 percent of UMP supporters back his candidacy, compared to 17 percent for Alliot-Marie, 60, and six percent for Villepin, 53.

Chirac, 73, has also refused to rule out running for a third term, despite polls that show that more than 75 percent of the public are opposed.

But in spite of the apparent hopelessness of their own ambitions, the trio appear bent on keeping their options open and thwarting Sarkozy's bid to emerge as sole champion of the right.

Animosities have long beset France's political right, and in 1995 Chirac himself had to fight off a rival presidential bid from then prime minister Edouard Balladur - who was backed by a young Sarkozy.

But behind today's personal ill-will also lie deep political differences, analysts said, with 'Chiraciens' seeing Sarkozy as a pro-American free marketeer who will betray the Gaullist legacy and risks alienating much of the country with his tough rhetoric on law and order.

Traditional Gaullists are also deeply suspicious of political parties and regard the presidential election - in the words of Villepin - as an "encounter between the people and a man."

Law and order is shaping up as a pivotal issue in next April's presidential election, with police chiefs warning the conditions that caused the 2005 riots in the country's high-immigration suburbs still remain firmly in place.

But left-wing politicians and media have attacked the bill - which notably brings in tougher penalties for young repeat offenders and lowers the minimum age of imprisonment - as "dangerous" and overly repressive.

Critics say the legislation, which introduces offences such as "ambushing law enforcement officers" in response to a recent spate of violence in the suburbs, illustrates the failure of Sarkozy's record on law-and-order.


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Within the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), the crime prevention bill - already approved by the Senate and up for debate in the National Assembly until November 29 - has also highlighted mounting strains.

Allies of President Jacques Chirac's party have challenged several of its provisions, forcing Sarkozy to water them down.

Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie - a powerful Chirac ally - clashed publicly with Sarkozy over the bill last week, accusing him of "treating all young people as potential delinquents".

And Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin - another close Chirac ally - took a swipe at his law-and-order policies at the weekend by warning the party against "fishing for (far-right) National Front votes".

Behind the split over the bill lies the broader question of the centre-right presidential nomination - almost certain to be clinched by Sarkozy who enjoys backing from three quarters of UMP sympathisers.

The UMP's political bureau will meet Wednesday to set a deadline for registering bids for the nomination - to be decided in a vote by the party's 293,000 members - with Sarkozy expected to declare his own candidacy early next month.

But Sarkozy has come under attack from several fronts in recent days - accused of stifling alternative visions within the UMP and blocking other candidates for the presidential race.

Alliot-Marie wrote to him on Monday demanding there be a "free and constructive debate" during the selection process.

At the weekend, Villepin said Sarkozy's nomination was not inevitable - although he took a more conciliatory line on Tuesday, describing the interior minister as an "asset" in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.

Sarkozy, Villepin and Alliot-Marie were to meet Wednesday to try to defuse tensions ahead of the meeting, according to the defence minister's office.

Meanwhile in the opposition ranks, Socialist Party (PS) leaders have been eager to contrast the UMP's discomfiture to their own new sense of purpose following Royal's nomination on Thursday.

In a television interview Monday, Royal took a swipe at the divisions in the ruling party when asked which centre-right candidate she would rather face.

"That is up to them to decide" she replied, before adding: "I can only hope the chosen candidate has as much legitimacy" as that produced by the socialist nomination battle.

Suez shareholders are also threatening to turn against the financial arrangements.

Government spokesman Jean-François Copé said after a weekly meeting of ministers had discussed the delay: "The government expects GDF and its president Jean-François Cirelli to submit without delay to their governance bodies the timetable and the methods by which they intend to finalise this merger."

In doing so they had to pay close attention to the interests of GDF customers, clients, employees and shareholders.

The court found that GDF had not provided unions with adequate information about the effects of the merger on staff, as required by statute.

Economy and Finance Minister Thierry Breton also said tersely on television: "It is up to the companies - and no-one else - to carry out their projects."

The Suez board also said it was awaiting proposals from GDF. The chief executives of the two energy groups have said they still want to push the deal through. But it is now at risk of being caught up in the March corporate results period.

The delay means that the project, which is rejected by the left-wing opposition, could become entangled in the presidential election.

The controversy, involving marathon legislation to privatise GDF, would become a particularly hot issue if the plan collapses and Suez becomes a target for takeover, as some analysts suggest.

A few months ago, even supporters of the government in the National Assembly (parliament), reticent about the merits of the plan and worried about their pre-election popularity, were threatening not to approve enabling legislation.

Eventually the leader of the governing UMP party and its likely candidate for the presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy, put aside his own reticence to pull party unity behind the plan.

In doing so he compromised with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and with President Jacques Chirac, with whom he has difficult relations.

The heat of electioneering has increased sharply with the selection last week of Ségolène Royal as the Socialist candidate.

A prominent Socialist Jean-Marc Ayrault said: "The future of GDF is not yet determined."

A member of the pro-Sarkozy faction among government supporters, Dominique Paille, said: "It is a thorn in the foot of the UMP candidate (Sarkozy) and this could turn out to be a big bonus for the left."

Saying that there were "too many obstacles", he forecast: "There will not be a merger."

Cope said that the court decision would set the plan back by only weeks or months, insisting that the alliance was vital for the nation's "energy independence".

The proposal for Suez to absorb GDF emerged after Italian energy group Enel had shown signs of preparing a hostile bid for privately-owned Suez. The plan was watched coolly by European Union authorities that want market forces rather than national ambitions to shape consolidation of the European energy sector.

Suez shareholders warn they might reject the plan unless the dividend is increased to reflect the current higher value of equity in the company, but Breton has implied that he might drop the plan if they demand too much.

Opponent of the plan argue that it involves the privatisation of GDF, could accelerate increases in gas prices and will undermine employment conditions.