1.   Socialist party leaders are bracing themselves for defeat.

2.   Although Chiesa was campaign director for the Socialist leader Bettino Craxi, the party was quick to expel him, and denied any knowledge of his illicit dealings.

3.   They clearly hope the Greens will respond, at least in those key constituencies where Socialist leaders like Michel Rocard and Lionel Jospin would otherwise be under serious threat.

4.   Although the president was staying nearby at Latche, he sent a stilted letter that was read to the crowd by another Socialist leader before Jospin spoke.

5.   At first, he was aligned with the left and associated with Francois Mitterrand, the socialist leader who later became president.

6.   But several analysts noted that he had not only spurned the opinion polls but also resisted intense pressure to run from Mitterrand and other Socialist leaders.

7.   Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe pushed for belt-tightening measures, while Socialist leader Lionel Jospin opposed them.

8.   Chirac has pushed for belt-tightening measures, while Socialist leader Lionel Jospin opposes them.

9.   Earlier, socialist party leaders said they were circumspect about the exit polls.

10.   Hundreds of supporters of Papandreou, the Socialist leader and a dominant figure in Greek politics for two decades, gathered outside the hospital.