I am better than Sarkozy, says France's Le Pen

By Anna Willard

HENIN-BEAUMONT, France (Reuters) - French far-right veteran Jean-Marie Le Pen on Tuesday dismissed presidential frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy as an opportunist and brushed off his bid to win over his National Front supporters.

Le Pen, who shocked the country in the 2002 presidential election by finishing second after knocking out Socialist Lionel Jospin, said he was convinced he would make it to the second round run-off on May 6.

Sarkozy, a hardline former interior minister, has tried to win over National Front voters, focusing heavily on Le Pen's traditional territory of immigration and security. But Le Pen, 78, says he is unimpressed.

"He's a boy, a convinced Sarkozyist and he's an opportunist," Le Pen told Reuters during one of his rare visits outside Paris on his fifth presidential election campaign. "I consider myself better than him."

Le Pen, who wants to stop immigration, protect French industrial champions and take France out of NATO, refused to rule out a sixth bid.

"It will all depend on my energy and they told me that the more I work, the more chance I have of living longer," he said.

Critics call him racist and say that his election would be a disaster for France.

Opinion polls say his support has risen slightly in recent weeks but he is lying in fourth place, far behind frontrunners Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal.