French President Jacques Chirac narrowed the poll lead of challenger Mr Lionel Jospin today as surveys showed voters punishing the Socialist prime minister for having called Mr Chirac old and tired.
Just over a month before the first round of the presidential election, an Ipsos institute poll showed Mr Chirac had wiped out a four-point lead opened up by Mr Jospin before the comments, which broke a French taboo about personal attacks in politics.
A poll by Sofres institute released yesterday also showed Mr Jospin's lead had narrowed from two points to one in the week since the remarks.
The new findings came as Mr Chirac, whose campaign had been branded by some commentators as lacklustre, was making three campaign stops in Paris today while Mr Jospin took a breather from the election trail.
Mr Jospin told reporters on the return flight from an election rally on March 9th in the French overseas department of Reunion that the conservative Mr Chirac - at 69, five years his senior - was tired, ageing and worn out .
Analysts said that had not gone down well with over-60 voters. The question now is whether this antipathy will remain or whether this will emerge as just a campaign hiccup, said Mr Pierre Giacometti of Ipsos.
The poll finding shows the delicate balancing act required of Mr Jospin and Mr Chirac, who for five years have endured the awkward power-sharing arrangement of cohabitation that has nonetheless proved quite popular with the public.
At the European Union summit in Barcelona on Friday and Saturday, the two leaders were scrupulously polite with each other -- at least in public -- and were at pains to show they could represent France with one voice .
Both socialists and conservatives hope not only to win the presidency but also to win parliamentary elections in June which will determine the colour of the new government.
Mr Chirac and Mr Jospin are battling for the middle of the road voters that analysts say could decide the contest. There are striking similarities in their manifestos, both based on tax cuts and getting tough on crime.