File Photo: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (AP Photo).
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday announced that the opposition UMP will from now on be known as "The Republicans", as his scandal-tainted party seeks to improve its image ahead of the 2017 presidential race.
Members of the right-wing party voted 83 per cent in favour of the name change, according to results released by the leadership.
"'Republicans' is not just a new name for a party. It's a rallying call to all who are distressed to see the Republic decline day after day and who want to stop this decline," Sarkozy said in a message on the party's new website republicains.fr.
Sarkozy returned to frontline politics last year and is expected to make another run for the presidency in 2017.
The 59-year-old - deeply unpopular at the time of his election defeat to Francois Hollande in 2012 - is working hard to improve the party's image after bitter leadership tussles and financial scandals.
While his much-heralded comeback has been dogged by legal woes including a corruption probe, his party gave the ruling Socialists a drubbing in local elections last month.
Sarkozy was charged in July with corruption, influence peddling and violation of legal secrecy over the case - and became the first former head of state to be taken into custody for questioning.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Just 46 percent of UMP members - or 97,440 people - took part in the online vote to rename the party, results showed.
A party congress will take place in Paris on Saturday, with Sarkozy set to give the closing speech.