Socialist candidate Francois Hollande has appeared to solidify his chances at winning France's presidency after his strong showing in a debate against beleaguered incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, Belfast Telegraph reported.

Mr Hollande also won the support of a prominent centrist who came in fourth in the first round of presidential elections.

The conservative Mr Sarkozy has trailed Mr Hollande throughout the campaign in the polls and needed a knockout performance in Wednesday May 2 night's debate. Pollsters said the mild-mannered Mr Hollande was surprisingly resilient in the bitter back-and-forths with his longtime rival.

The result of the run-off will set the course for the next five years for France, a nuclear-armed country with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

It could reshape the debate in the 17-nation eurozone - which Mr Sarkozy has helped guide along with Germany's Angela Merkel - on how best to resolve the European debt crisis amid sluggish growth across the continent.

Centrist leader Francois Bayrou dealt Mr Sarkozy a new blow on Thursday night. Mr Bayrou said he would not give his voters specific guidance for Sunday's vote - but that he will cast a ballot for Mr Hollande.

Mr Sarkozy kept it up anyway at a big campaign rally in Toulon. "We don't want different tribes, we don't want ethnic communities to turn in on themselves, we don't want (non-citizen) immigrants to vote," he said.

He is seeking support from the far right voters who gave anti-immigrant party leader Marine Le Pen a strong showing in the first round of elections.