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Sarko v Ségo in French poll
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's rightwing former interior minister, last night stormed to one of the most impressive first-round victories in French presidential history, making him favourite to beat the socialist Ségolène Royal to the Elysée in a fortnight's time. The head of France's ruling UMP party emerged as the most popular rightwing politician in 30 years after promising to shake France out of its decline with a mixture of free-market reforms, and to restore "authority" with tough law and order measures, clamp down on immigration and instil a sense of "national pride". According to early official counts, he scored 30.5% of the vote.

Addressing a rally of around 2,000 supporters in Paris, Mr Sarkozy said: "I wish only to rally people around a new French dream of a fraternal republic." He said his vision of France valued work, instilled authority and was a France where people did not fear others. He said he would rally the workers, farmers and all those who had suffered and were "exasperated".

Ms Royal, the first woman with a chance of becoming president, comfortably qualified for the second round run-off on May 6, with an estimated 25.7% of the vote, the highest for a Socialist since Francois Mitterrand in 1988. She has styled herself the defender of social justice who "listens to the people", challenging Mr Sarkozy indirectly for his "brutal" style, divisiveness and "dangerous" authoritarianism.
And who better than a socialist to recognize those things?
The centrist Francois Bayrou, the dark horse "third man" who had posed a surprise challenge to the frontrunners, took 18.5% of the vote. Mr Le Pen came fourth with 11.5%, his worst result in a presidential election since he first ran in 1974.

Francois Fillon, of the UMP, widely tipped as Mr Sarkozy's possible future prime minister, said the result was not about "crying victory" but would allow the nation "to choose between two concepts of national identity and two ways of doing politics". Mr Sarkozy, whose inspirations are Charles de Gaulle and Pope John Paul II, has said France needs "a new Renaissance" and has promised to restore pride in "what it means to be French".

Ms Royal has broken away from the traditional left, styling herself as a mother figure who sings the Marseillaise and calling for everyone to place a French flag in their window.
Posted by: Steve White 2007-04-23
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=186589