A new opinion poll indicates that Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative candidate for the French presidency, has widened his lead over his Socialist rival ahead of Sunday's elections.
The poll, published by the newspaper Le Figaro on Thursday, showed support for Sarkozy rose after he debated Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate, on Wednesday.
The poll carried out by Opinionway found that an estimated 53 per cent of viewers had found Sarkozy more convincing in the debate against 31 percent for Royal.
Socialists said that the poll was inaccurate however, while many newspapers judged that the two-hour televised debate was a draw.
"Each camp will celebrate its champion and deride the adversary," the daily Le Parisien newspaper said.
The influential daily Le Monde said the debate was unlikely to turn the campaign round and said the "disappointing" exchange gave little sense of the way forward for France.
The directors of Royal's campaign team issued a statement, denouncing the Opinionway poll, the first issued on the debate, and asked "Who profits from a survey like this?"
Undecided voters
Both candidates are chasing the support of the seven million people who voted for Francois Bayrou, a centrist candidate who was knocked out in the first round of the presidential elections.
Sarkozy, who has led in more than 100 opinion polls since the start of the year, said he did not believe the debate would change the pattern of the campaign.
"I don't think everything is decided by a debate, however much of a media event it may be," he told RTL radio.
An opinion poll published late on Wednesday before the debate put Sarkozy's support at 53.5 percent against 46.5 for Royal, with 86 percent saying they will not change their minds before the May 6 vote.
Royal denied the race was as good as over.
"Opinion polls don't decide elections," she told France Inter radio.
The last - and final - round of the French elections takes place on Sunday.