Sarkozy and Royal set to contest French presidency

More than 75 percent of French voters turned out, sending the former interior minister and the nation's first female major-party presidential candidate to a May 6 runoff.

from the April 23, 2007 edition

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The view from the suburbs

At the Ambroise Thomas public school in Argenteuil, a heavily immigrant Paris suburb that saw rioting in 2005, French citizens waited hours in unseasonable heat to vote overwhelmingly for Royal. Two Moroccan women, Jamilia and Fatima, both wearing designer sunglasses, raced into the school in the afternoon, only to reappear moments later. The lines were so long, they decided to watch a Hollywood film, and come back in the evening to vote.

"People need to say what they think," Jamilia said, noting that while she felt Royal is not a true leftist, "she is a woman, and since men have ruled here so long, and not so well, maybe a woman can offer something different."

In the wealthy suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, where Sarkozy launched his political career in his early 20s and where he cast his vote Sunday morning, most residents voted for him. In the city center, national police squads deployed from the south-central city of Lyon were parked along a tree-lined street where kids were kicking soccer balls. They drove to Paris three days ago, but an officer said the vote had been peaceful throughout France.

"If the vote goes a certain way, we might have some trouble after dark," he said, "but we don't expect it."

Change for France – and Europe

The French election has been passionately debated here. Voters say they deeply feel the need for change – though it was not always clear what change of direction they want in a society that has long relied on a state social-welfare model.

France has such pull and clout in Europe, that the Continent has been waiting for the final round of elections on May 6 to determine a direction on a constitution that would further unify the European Union.

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