In Political Rite, French Hopefuls Seek 500 Backers PARIS - In 1965, Marcel Barbu, a jeweler and philanthropist, ran for the French presidency as "the candidate of battered dogs." In 2002, Pierre Rabhi, a farmer and philosopher of Algerian descent, built himself as the candidate of "peaceful insurrection." Coluche, a well-known comedian, called for "the lazy, the filthy, the drug addicts, the alcoholics, the pedophiles" and other nonmainstream voters to elect him in 1981. Appealingly eccentric as they were, only Mr. Barbu obtained the endorsement he needed to be able to become an electable presidential candidate in France's odd political system, which requires 500 mayors or local officials to sign their names in support of a candidate before he or she can be put on the ballot. France has one of the highest numbers of presidential candidates in Europe, experts say, but the rules to select them are often described as stricter than they are anywhere else. Since the country established the election of a president through direct universal suffrage in 1962, the number of candidates able to qualify grew from 6 in 1965 to 16 in 2002. But as France faces a new presidential election three months from now, experts and politicians have criticized the requirement for endorsement signatures - a system that began in 1962, under President Charles de Gaulle, with the requirement of 100 endorsements and was later expanded. The intent has remained the same: to limit the number of fringe candidates. In its current form, the law stipulates that those who wish to qualify need to gather 500 signatures from mayors or local officials from at least 30 districts across France or in its overseas territories, so long as no more than 50 signatures come from a single district or territory. The Constitutional Court, France's highest court, validates the 500 endorsements about a month before the first round of the elections. This year, officials have until March 16 to submit their endorsement form. But only since 1976 have the lists of the officials who sign been made public, which has become an issue whenever a candidate of the far-right National Front is seeking the presidency, as one is this year. The notoriety of the National Front has meant that it is harder for its candidates, first Jean-Marie Le Pen and now his daughter, Marine Le Pen, to get public signatures, especially since many local officials are members of more centrist parties that shun the far right. Mr. Le Pen failed to get enough signatures in 1981; in 2007, he got 507, said Michel Chevalier, a senior party member in northern France. Ms. Le Pen has complained bitterly that she has so far secured only 300 signatures despite getting about 20 percent of the vote in opinion polls. "If she can't qualify," Mr. Chevalier said, "it would be a denial of democracy." Guy Carcassonne, a well-known legal scholar, said in an interview that "this system is both bad and useless," adding, "We have too many minor candidates who don't represent much." To some mainstream politicians, collecting 500 signatures is an inevitable ritual. But others say the rule is undemocratic, a form of political manipulation used to undermine the chances of minor candidates and those of the National Front. "It's a weapon for the mainstream political parties, which control the network of mayors and officials," said Frédéric Nihous, the leader of Chasse, Pêche, Nature et Traditions (CPNT), a party representing those who love hunting, fishing and nature. The CPNT has qualified for a presidential election twice before. In 2007, its candidate won 1.15 percent of the vote. Several months ago, Mr. Nihous started what he called his "marathon" across France to gather the required signatures. He has 200 so far and seems confident that he will get the 500 he needs. "The time and energy we spend to get those signatures prevents us from campaigning and debating ideas," Mr. Nihous said, adding that he could not get any loans for his campaign until he had the signatures. The publication of the names of officials who endorse candidates has made the problem worse, he said. "Some mayors don't dare show themselves after they've signed," he said. They are told that the state could stop giving them subsidies. The National Front insists that a number of mayors who wish to endorse Ms. Le Pen will not do so because they do not want their names published. But many, including Mr. Carcassonne, describe Ms. Le Pen's talk of her undemocratic exclusion from the race as a recurring tactic to encourage more mayors to endorse her. The current system also lends itself to corruption. In 2007, the Constitutional Court highlighted excesses from candidates who bargained, threatened, pressured or even blackmailed mayors to obtain their signatures. "It became nearly harassment," Max Brail, the mayor of Lastours, a tiny village in southern France, told Europe 1 radio. It starts with a letter or an e-mail sent to the city hall, then it becomes door-to-door selling. They even came to see me while I was working in my vineyard. Many here wish to see legislators or citizens legitimizing candidacies, as is common in other European countries like Portugal, Austria, Bulgaria and Poland. In Portugal, a presidential candidate needs at least 7,500 voters to sign a petition. In Poland, a candidate needs 100,000 signatures. In October, Jean-Louis Masson, a senator and member of an independent party, introduced a draft law to "democratize the conditions of endorsement in a presidential election." He suggested that only a party that had won at least 5 percent of the votes in the last legislative elections could submit a candidate.