It seems that passion is going to play an important role in the French presidential election.

When Jacques Chirac launched his campaign on Monday, he said it was his passion for France which had persuaded him to stand for his fourth presidential race in a row.

His socialist opponents counter, of course, that the real reason is his passion for power.

But in a country where relations between the sexes are not as enlightened as many would like to think, there has been some discussion about the other side of the passion debate.

Just how passionate do French women feel about the various, generally male, presidential candidates on offer?

Lionel's looks

According to a Valentine's Day survey in the Liberation newspaper, the choice seems pretty clear between the more seductive ladies' man, Jacques Chirac, and the shier, less obviously attractive Lionel Jospin.