Former French President Jacques Chirac has endorsed a rival to Nicolas Sarkozy for the post in 2017, in a move likely to sharpen centre-right divisions.
Mr Chirac, who makes no secret of his distaste for his fellow ex-president, lavished praise on Alain Juppe, his prime minister from 1995 to 1997.
"Few things would please me more," he told French daily Le Figaro about the prospect of Mr Juppe winning.
Only last week, Mr Sarkozy launched his political comeback.
At a rally in the northern city of Lille, he opened his campaign for the leadership of his centre-right party, the UMP, seen as a step towards winning the party's eventual primaries for 2017.
Mr Sarkozy, 59, narrowly lost the 2012 presidential election to his Socialist rival, but Francois Hollande has since become the most unpopular French president in modern times.
Mr Juppe is not standing for the UMP leadership but has declared his ambition to stand for the party's presidential ticket, arguing that he has broader appeal than Mr Sarkozy.
Correspondents say Mr Juppe, 69, is one of the few UMP politicians capable of mounting a serious challenge to Mr Sarkozy after the party's well-publicised internal battles since 2012.
'Call of destiny'Speaking to Le Figaro, Mr Chirac, 81, said: "I have always known that Alain Juppe would answer the call of his destiny and that of France. Few things would please me more, for me, for him and especially for our country.
"If I had the energy, I would already have booked my place, even a minor one, in the headquarters [of the Juppe campaign]."
It was already clear from Mr Chirac's memoirs a few years ago that he cared little for Mr Sarkozy, despite having him as a minister during his time at the Elysee (1995-2007).
"Irritable, rash, overconfident and allowing for no doubt, least of all regarding himself," was how he described his successor as president.
Sarkozy allies, however, have pointed out that Mr Chirac's wife Bernadette is against Mr Juppe standing in 2017.
She told French radio station Europe 1 that he was "very, very cold and does not attract people".
The accusation was fended off by Mr Juppe, who said later it was a "stereotype from another time".
Meanwhile, Mr Sarkozy's long-running legal battles have also made a comeback with the first charges pressed this week in the Bygmalion affair, which concerns invoices for events staged by PR company Bygmalion during Mr Sarkozy's 2012 re-election campaign.
Judges are investigating claims that the party faked invoices worth 10m euros (£8m; $13.6m) to cover increasing costs.
A YouGov/Huffington Post poll published on Thursday suggests that 56% of voters are opposed to Mr Sarkozy's return, with only 32% in favour.
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