Dubai/Abu Dhabi: French expatriates in the UAE lined up for right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday as they went to the polls for the second round of their presidential election.
Supporters of the UMP candidate seemed to heavily outnumber those of his socialist rival, Segolene Royal, at polling stations at the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Alliance Francaise in Dubai.
Sarkozy supporter, Xavier Caminada, 36, who works as a company general manager, said Royal was not qualified to be president.
"She lacks experience to that level of competency, while Sarkozy has already been a minister.
"He is more precise about what he's talking about. She has done a lot of PR but when she goes into details, she doesn't seem that comfortable," he said.
Maryse Laurenti, counsellor for the Assembly of French Nationals Abroad said she was confident Sarkozy would win - and go on to introduce reforms.
"France is a great country, and it needs all of these reforms in the 21st century, a century during which all countries will want to stand out. I hope France will have its place in the world as a strong and important country," she said.
Patricia Haj, 37, said both candidates were "poor", but Sarkozy was "slightly less poor" than Royal because of his economic policies.
"I think France is going down the drain, it is just a question of speed. It would go down the drain extremely quickly with Segolene Royal. Sarkozy's economic programme is a lot more realistic than hers," she said.
Sarkozy supporter Philippe Escriu, 42, said a Sarkozy win would not dent relations between France and the Arab world.
He added: "There will be some details which will change of course, but France's foreign policy as a whole will not change."
Linda Agboanou, 29, said: "I agree with Sarkozy's programme as it suits me and what I want from my country. There are of course a few negative points, but on the whole the programme is good."
One of the few Segolene Royal voters Gulf News managed to find was Yann Simon, 28, who works for a fabric manufacturer.
"In the first round I voted for [defeated centrist candidate] Francois Bayrou and for me neither Nicolas Sarkozy nor Segolene Royal are very good. I think he [Sarkozy] just wants to get power," he said.
