France's Sarkozy accused of pandering to racist sentiments

Nicolas Sarkozy, former French president and current UMP conservative political party head, attends a political rally in the Essonne department as he campaigns for French departmental elections in Palaiseau, near Paris, in this file picture taken March 16, 2015. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

PARIS (Reuters) - France's ruling Socialists accused conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday of appealing to racist sentiments in criticising the country's Morocco-born education minister.

Sarkozy, expected by many to run for election in 2017, used no explicitly racist words but came under fire for singling out two non-white female ministers in a largely white government for charges of gross incompetence.