French electorate picks Sarkozy and Royal for second round of presidential voting
The French electorate has selected Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal for the second round of voting for the presidency.
Consequently, the centrist Francois Bayrou and the far-right nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen have dropped out of the running, leaving Mr Sarkozy and Ms Royal to compete for the remaining votes.
Latest indications are that the centre-right Mr Sarkozy topped the first-round poll with 31.11% of the vote, with Ms Royal gaining 25.84%.
Additionally, voter turnout was relatively high by historical standards, reaching 84.6 per cent.
Mr Sarkozy presented the contest as a battle of ideologies that will decide France's future. He was quoted by CNN as saying: "By placing me in the lead and Madame Royal in second position, [voters] clearly marked their wish to have a definitive debate on two ideas of the nation, two projects of society, two value systems."
Jacques Chirac, the current president of the republic, steps down after 12 years and has backed the right-leaning Nicolas Sarkozy to succeed him.
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