François Hollande, the Socialist front-runner in France's presidential elections on Friday promised to curb the number of foreigners allowed to work in the country in a time of economic crisis, in a measured overture to the far-Right electorate, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Under pressure to respond to the 18 per cent of voters who backed National Front candidate Marine Le Pen in Sunday's first round, Mr Hollande also stipulated that he would uphold and enforce a ban on the full Islamic veil, despite the fact he abstained in a Right-wing-led parliamentary vote in 2010.
"In a period of crisis in which we find ourselves, limiting economic immigration is necessary and essential," said the centre-Left candidate who two polls released yesterday suggest will beat his conservative rival Nicolas Sarkozy in the May 6 run-off by between eight and nine percentage points.
The figures suggest Mr Sarkozy's lurch to the hard Right on immigration and security has so far done little to boost his uphill re-election bid with eight days to go.
The embattled incumbent requires around 80 per cent of FN supporters to vote for him next Sunday, but a Harris Interactive survey published yesterday found that only 48 per cent would vote Sarkozy, while 21 per cent would back Mr Hollande and 31 per cent plan would abstain.
In a further blow to the Sarkozy campaign, the jobless rate rose in March to hit its highest level since September 1999.
Read more of this report from The Daily Telegraph.