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Sarkozy, accused by opponents of stoking the unrest by calling troublemakers "scum", maintained his tough line on Saturday, saying the government stood by its demand for an end to the violence. "Those who commit such actions will have to account for them before the law," he told reporters. A poll published on Sunday indicated his public image was holding up, even if many disapproved of his language. Villepin also has ambitions to be the right wing's presidential candidate in 2007 and has tried to position himself as a much more consensual figure than Sarkozy. The effect on the crisis on his ratings is still unclear. (Additional reporting by Astrid Wendlandt in Paris and Paul Carrel in Evreux)
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