Bayrou, 55, could be a spoiler in 2007. A farmer's son from a Pyrenean village, Bayrou studied literature and was a professor before turning to politics. Elected to the National Assembly in 1986, he was minister of education from 1993 to 1997 under two right-wing governments. Bayrou became head of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) party in 1998 and ran for the presidency in 2002, earning 6.84 percent of the vote. Bayrou played an opposition role through Chirac's second term. In the current campaign he is looking to gain ground through the center and pick up votes from the front runners, should Ségolène Royal or Nicolas Sarkozy falter. A practicing Catholic married at 20, Bayrou has six children and 10 grand-children.