Last year's defeated presidential candidate Segolene Royal stirred fears of a divisive power struggle among France's opposition socialists at the weekend by announcing her ambition to lead the party into the next poll.
Royal's declaration late on Friday raised the prospect of a damaging personal clash with Paris's Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe for the 2012 candidacy at a time when the party needs unity to challenge right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy.