France's Sarkozy urges party unity, lags behind popular rival

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, head of France's Les Republicains political party, speaks on the second day of his party's national council in Paris, France, February 14, 2016. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, struggling to put his re-election bid back on track, urged his conservative party on Sunday to rally behind a programme of curbing immigration, building more jails and cutting taxes.

Sarkozy wants his platform, which also includes overhauling labour rules and restoring checks at French borders, to set the party line for the 2017 presidential elections.