PARIS (AP):

After holding out for months, President Jacques Chirac yesterday endorsed fellow conservative Nicolas Sarkozy's bid to succeed him as France's president, despite long and sharp personal and political differences between the two men.

Chirac also announced that Sarkozy would quit as interior minister next Monday, to devote himself fully to the close presidential race in which he is narrowly the front-runner.

Chirac's declaration of support and Sarkozy's departure from government had long beenexpected. Even so, the president kept praise for his former prot?g? who later became his rival to a minimum in a terse two-minute televised declaration. The endorsement spoke more of reason than of warmth.

"With regard to my personal choices, things are simple," said Chirac. He cited Sarkozy's "qualities" - without elaborating - and added: "Therefore, I naturally will give him my vote and my support."

Sarkozy, who has held a small lead in polls for months, has made breaking with the Chirac era a theme of his presidential campaign.

He said he was "very touched" by Chirac's support. "It is important for me politically and also personally," the candidate said in a statement.

Leaving the Interior Ministry promises to deflate vociferous criticism from Sarkozy's presidential competitors that he was unfairly using his powerful and high-profile government post to campaign.

Because the ministry organises French elections, critics also claimed a conflict of interest in Sarkozy's case and argued that he blurred the lines between his candidacy and his ministerial duties. Sarkozy faced accusations of using his powers to spy on the camp of Socialist rival Segolene Royal, which he denied.

But the ministry, which oversees the police and domestic intelligence agencies, also provided Sarkozy with an enviable platform to prove his effectiveness on issues central to his campaign, particularly immigration and security. His tough stance on those questions drew much criticism during his tenure, but boosted his support on the right.