France election: Sarkozy and Hollande trade insults

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his challenger Francois Hollande have traded insults in their only TV debate of the election campaign

writes the BBC which has a video excerpt of the debate, which Le Monde calls a tie.

Personally, I think Sarkozy did better than Hollande, who hardly looked presidential with his incessant interruptions, but it's certain that it may not matter in the final analysis, i.e., on Sunday.

The president called Mr Hollande a "little slanderer", while his rival said Mr Sarkozy shirked responsibility.

Mr Sarkozy defended his record and said he had kept France out of recession. But Mr Hollande said France was going through a "serious crisis" and was struggling with slow growth.

The vote takes place on Sunday.

The BBC's Gavin Hewitt says it was a long, bad-tempered debate that left the impression that neither candidate liked each other.

There were plenty of angry exchanges, with both candidates accusing each other of lying.