First 100 days for Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy plans an "extraordinary session" of the French parliament in July to adopt a series of immediate measures. These include:

- Freeing hours worked over the 35-hour week from all taxes and social charges.

- Abolishing inheritance tax on small and medium estates.

- Making interest on property loans tax deductible.

- Tightening rules to prevent the families of immigrants settling in France.

- Introducing a minimum sentence for repeat offenders.

- He intends to travel to Berlin and Brussels during his first week in office to "get Europe out of the crisis" caused by the French "Non" to the European Constitution.

- Four "summits" will be held with France's main unions in September to discuss purchasing power, work contracts, equal wages for men and women and "social democracy". A round table of employers, employees and experts will discuss the environment.

- He has also promised laws before the end of the year banning "golden parachutes" for businessmen and women, and obliging transport workers to guarantee a minimum service during a strike.

Segolene Royal
First 100 days
Focus on salariesand education

Segolene Royal has come to the threshold of being France's first woman president thanks to a brilliantly personalised campaign which transformed her for the left-voting public into a symbol of hope and renewal. If elected, she has a plan of action for the first 100 days in power. It includes:

- Holding a conference on salaries and growth with France's unions in June. She has vowed to increase immediately the minimum wage and basic pension by five per cent.

- Organising a special parliamentary session. The first law will deal with domestic violence and include measures against sexual delinquents.

- Pupils in difficulty will have the right to support and there will be more jobs in education.

- A "first chance contract" will be introduced, aimed at getting 500,000 young people into work in five years. The state will pay wages and national insurance costs for six months if qualified, and one year if not.

- An action plan against debt and bank charges will be unveiled and more police put back on the beat.

- A referendum will be held over whether to introduce a VIth Republic, changing the constitution to introduce measures including limited proportional representation.