PARIS — Setting up an electoral showdown that will bring a new generation to power in France, Nicolas Sarkozy of the ruling center-right party and Socialist Segolene Royal beat 10 other presidential candidates Sunday in a first-round vote.
A May 6 runoff will pit Sarkozy, a 52-year-old former interior and economy minister, against Royal, a 53-year-old former environment minister who aspires to be France's first female president. The campaign promises to be tight, hinging on an emergent and volatile voting bloc that gave centrist Francois Bayrou a strong third-place finish.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday April 25, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 47 words Type of Material: Correction
French election: In early editions of Monday's Section A, the results of an early poll on the runoff in France's presidential election were given incorrectly. The survey predicted that Nicolas Sarkozy would win with 54% of the vote to 46% for Segolene Royal, not 54% to 48%.
With nearly all of the ballots counted, Sarkozy led with 31%, followed by Royal with 26%, Bayrou at 19% and far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen trailing with 11%. The 85% turnout was the highest since 1964, reflecting intense interest in a suspenseful election to replace two-term President Jacques Chirac, 74, who makes way for a generation of candidates born after World War II.
The election is seen as a turning point for France, which is the world's sixth largest economy and a leader in the European Union. Although a U.S. ally, France has led opposition to the Iraq war and has promoted a strong EU to counter American influence. France also holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, giving it considerable diplomatic power.
The new president will have to tackle a profound malaise caused by unemployment, political disenchantment, youth riots and the difficulties of integrating a large Muslim immigrant population.
Sarkozy had consistently led opinion polls, which suggested that many voters see him as the best-qualified candidate. He calls for reforming a sluggish economy by cutting taxes and labor regulations. He has a tough law-and-order image and is regarded as more pro-American than many French politicians.
An upbeat Sarkozy told cheering supporters of his Union for a Popular Movement that the runoff race would fulfill the voters' wish for an in-depth debate about the future.
"I hope this debate in the second round will be truly a debate of ideas," Sarkozy said. "I want to tell all of the French that I want to protect them against violence, crime, exclusion.... I want to be able to talk about the French nation without being accused of nationalism."
Plunge in the polls
