Last year's defeated French presidential candidate Segolene Royal has officially launched her bid to become leader of the Socialist Party, as a power struggle within the deeply-divided camp heats up.
 
"If the party members so decide and consider it useful for the Socialist Party, then I will accept with joy and determination this wonderful mission to become head of the party," Royal, 54, said at a Paris meeting late on Friday. Her remarks were later broadcast on French TV. 

Some members of the Socialist Party, reinvigorated after making large gains during local elections in March, immediately criticised Royal's leadership bid on Saturday.
 
"The Socialist Party is turning into a shambles," said member of parliament Jean-Christophe Cambadelis. "We've got an enormous clash of egos," he added. 

Last year, Royal won 47 percent of votes as she lost to right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election.
 
Despite lifting the party from its humiliating defeat to the far-right National Front in the 2002 elections, Royal was criticised within the Socialist camp for adopting right-wing style stances on law-and-order and patriotism.

Current Socialist leader Francois Hollande, who is also the former partner of Royal, is due to step down later this year.
 
Many expect Paris Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe to launch a bid to become leader of the party for the 2012 elections.