PARIS: Increasingly citing Germany as a model for France, President Nicolas Sarkozy will look to give his re-election hopes a boost Monday in a joint TV interview with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Facing a tough challenge from Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, who has enjoyed a consistent poll lead ahead of the April-May two-round vote, Sarkozy is keen to shore up his credentials as a statesman and economic reformer.

He and fellow right-winger Merkel, in Paris for a joint Franco-German cabinet session, will sit down for the interview with French and German public television.

The two leaders have worked closely on resolving the eurozone debt crisis and Merkel's party has already said she will actively support Sarkozy in the election campaign.

For Sarkozy, the interview is a chance to highlight his experience and close ties with other world leaders, as he did last year in a joint interview with US President Barack Obama, a source in Sarkozy's UMP party said.

"By tying himself to other world leaders, Nicolas Sarkozy reinforces in French minds his image as a statesman, as someone who is able to take decisions, and reduces the Socialist Party candidate to nothing more than a mere opposition figure," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The interview will also be a chance for Sarkozy, who has yet to officially declare his candidacy, to highlight his efforts to introduce German-style reforms to the French economy.

Sarkozy has repeatedly cited Germany's economic success as a model for France, promoting labour and tax reforms based on Berlin's example.

In an interview with French television last Sunday, Sarkozy repeatedly referred to Germany's economic success, noting that it had managed to save industrial jobs by keeping corporate payroll charges down.

Hermann Groehe, the secretary general of Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has said the party backs Sarkozy and that the chancellor will support Sarkozy in campaign rallies.

The CDU is convinced Sarkozy "is the right person in the Elysee Palace and will continue to be in the future," Groehe said in a speech to the UMP, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

Sarkozy supported Merkel in 2009 when she successfully ran for re-election.

Still, some in France, including in Sarkozy's own party, have warned against cozying up too much with Germany.

"We must be careful not to appear to be following Germany's lead," said Lionnel Luca, a UMP lawmaker, warning against the "whiff of Germanophobia exuded by the Socialist Party for political reasons."

Hollande has taken a strong lead ahead of the presidential vote, with opinion polls showing him taking 28 to 30 percent of votes in the first round, ahead of 23 to 24 percent for Sarkozy.

The first round of the election will take place on April 22 followed by a run-off vote on May 6.