French socialist deciding Thursday who will represent their party in next year's presidential elections. Three challengers are competing to win the privilege. Segolene Royale, who is widely tipped to win, is bidding to become the first female French president. She has been widely criticised by her male rivals for being a populist lacking in policy ideas. A victory on the first round would boost Royale in her campaign to become France's first woman president and confirm her poll status as the only Socialist able to beat the right's runner Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 ballot. Her rivals are the ex Prime Minister Laurent Fabius and former Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn, both of them emphasising in their campaign their far greater experience of national government. Opinion polls put Royale way ahead of Laurent Fabius, the the ex PM predicts she will be force into a second round. If any candidate fails to win an absolute majority on Thursday a run-off ballot will be held on Nov. 23.

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