France votes in presidential run-off ballot

Paris: France began voting on Sunday in a presidential run-off ballot pitting the right-wing son of an Hungarian immigrant against a Socialist bidding to become France's first woman president.

Opinion surveys conducted on the eve of polling gave combative former interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy a commanding 10-point lead over Segolene Royal, a regional leader and former schools minister.

Of three final polls, taken Wednesday and Thursday, two gave Sarkozy the lead and one put them neck and neck.

Voter stations in mainland France opened across the country at 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), but about 1 million citizens in France's overseas territories and French residents in the Americas voted on Saturday in a move to encourage voter participation.

In total, 44.5 million French voters were eligible to cast their ballot. Opinion polls giving an initial indication of the result are expected to be released straight after voting ends at 8 p.m.

Sunday's vote is the culmination of a fierce campaign in which Royal warned her opponent would be a "dangerous choice" whose election could spark suburban riots. Sarkozy's camp said she was a gaffe-prone lightweight, a tax-and-spend Socialist unable to keep her cool.

The pair have offered contrasting visions of France, Royal combining left-wing economic policies and consensual approach to social affairs in a "change without brutality" reform package.

Sarkozy campaigned for the "silent majority" of hard-working French people, vowing real change with reforms that would shake up a hide-bound economy to foster growth, jobs, spending power and restore national identity.

Sarkozy does not hide his admiration for the United States, and Royal uses this to paint him as the yes man of American capitalism. Sarkozy calls the Iraq invasion a
mistake. Royal calls it a catastrophe.

He topped the first round vote on April 22 with 31.2 per cent of the ballot against 25.9 per cent for Royal.

Turnout was almost a record at 84.5 per cent.