Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed his high poll ratings by winning 30.5% of votes in the first round of the elections, setting the scene for a 6 May run-off against Ségolène Royal, his Socialist opponent, who gained 25.7% of votes.
The results came as no surprise, confirming opinion polls published during the weeks before the election.
Voter turnout came out at close to 85%, the highest since the first presidential election of 1965, which marked the advent of post-war French politics. The previous election, in 2002, recorded an unprecedented 28% abstention rate, with voter apathy largely contributing to Jean-Marie Le Pen’s accession to the second round, which he lost to Jacques Chirac.
The far-right leader failed to repeat his 2002 score, obtaining only 11% of votes, down from 17% in 2002. The tally was largely the result of "tactical voting" sponsored by the Left to keep Le Pen away from the second round and avoid repeating the 2002 shock.
None of the other candidates, including the Greens and the Communists, made it past the 5% mark. Dispersion of votes on the Left was denounced as another reason for Le Pen’s accession to the final election run-off in 2002.
Much attention is now turning to François Bayrou, the centrist leader who emerged as the ‘third man’ with 18.6% of votes, a steep rise from his 2002 score of 6.8%. Polls cited by French national television on Sunday indicated that centrist voters are split on how to cast their ballots in the second round.
