France votes as Sarkozy era hangs by thread
Opinion polls point to Sarkozy coming second to his
Socialist challenger Francois Hollande:
FRANCE: More than 44 million French voters were called to the
polls Sunday for the first round of a presidential election that may see
the end of Nicolas Sarkozy's turbulent term in office. Predictions of a
high abstention rate and strong protest vote left the outcome uncertain,
but all opinion polls point to the right-wing incumbent coming second to
his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande.
The two 57-year-old political veterans are thus on course to face
each other head-to-head in a May 6 run-off, which will decide who runs
what is commonly regarded as the world's fifth greatest power for the
next five years.
Voting began Saturday in France's overseas territories -- islands
dotting the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans -- and was to continue
on Sunday in 85,000 polling stations across the country's European
mainland.
Polling was to open at 8.00am (0600 GMT) and continue to 8.00pm,
whereupon voting estimates based on ballot samples will immediately be
published, giving a traditionally accurate picture of how the candidates
did.
In all, ten are in the race, Hollande and Sarkozy being trailed by
far-right flag-bearer Marine Le Pen, hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc
Melenchon and veteran centrist Francois Bayrou and a handful of
outsiders.
The campaign has run on for months but has yet to inspire much
passion, except for a series of mass open-air rallies by supporters of
Melenchon, whose Communist-backed Left Front coalition has made a strong
breakthrough.
Once the first round is out of the way, Sarkozy and Hollande will
face each other in a two week scramble for the line, including a
head-to-head televised debate that could be the incumbent's last chance
to change his fortunes.
An average of eight opinion polls conducted on Friday showed Hollande
comfortably beating Sarkozy next month by approximately 55 percent to
45.
The final fortnight is expected to see some bitter exchanges.
Hollande says Sarkozy has trapped France in a downward spiral of
austerity and job losses, while Sarkozy say his rival is inexperienced
and weak-willed and would spark panic on financial markets with reckless
spending pledges.
But there was little sign of such rhetoric on Saturday, as French law
prohibits campaigning and opinion polls on the eve of voting.
Voters went about their business without being accosted by
pamphleteers, the campaigns' websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds
were left without updates and broadcasters had to find other subjects to
interview.
Some hints of the campaigns' moods slipped past the censors.
"Lovely day," wrote Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon on his
personal Twitter account, linking to an upbeat song by Ella Fitzgerald,
and tacitly suggesting that the left remains coolly confident.
The left-wing daily Liberation emblazoned its front page with the
headline "A strong left" against the backdrop of a blue ocean under open
skies, mocking the slogan and imagery of Sarkozy's "A strong France"
campaign.
The pro-Sarkozy Le Figaro stuck doggedly behind its champion, but
doubts clouded its front page editorial, which warned all those thinking
of voting far-right or centrist that the second round would depend on
the first.
Privately, Sarkozy's top supporters have begun to admit that if
Sarkozy fails to regain the momentum and slip ahead of Hollande on
Sunday, he will have too much ground left to make up before the May 6
showdown. AFP |