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Sarkozy retains lead

Vaiju Naravane

Extreme right leader Le Pen gaining momentum

Paris: The former Interior Minister and president of France's ruling conservative UMP Party, Nicolas Sarkozy, appears set to be the frontrunner in the first round of the presidential election to be held next Sunday. Week after week, he has retained his lead with an electorate that is unwavering and loyal, political observers say.

This is the most exciting presidential election since 1981, when socialist candidate Francois Mitterrand ousted Valery Giscard d'Estaing, putting an end to 38 years of uninterrupted conservative rule.

Undecided voters

That the election has generated huge interest is evident from the fact that over four million new voters have registered in the past few months. But according to latest polls published here over 40 per cent of the electorate continues to agonise over its choice.

Mr. Sarkozy now appears almost certain to make it into the second round to be held on May 6. Who will he face in the run-off? Socialist voters are worried that too many candidates on the left and the presence of a strong centrist, Francois Bayrou will rob socialist Segolene Royal of a first round victory. Jean Marie Le Pen, leader of the extreme-right National Front party, also appears to be gaining momentum.

On Friday, the former socialist Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, created waves when he suggested the socialists should enter into a pact with Mr. Bayrou to keep out rightwing favourite Sarkozy. Ms. Royal, who hopes to become France's first woman President, rejected the suggestion outright.

While Mr. Sarkozy has become a deeply polarising figure pitting Right against Left — he recently horrified leftwing voters by stating paedophilia was due to genetic factors and drew sharp criticism from psychiatrists and social assistants when he held that turbulent behaviour in toddlers was a sure indication of future delinquency - Ms. Royal has failed to convert her rival's failures into support for her own programme.

She has been unable to convince her own constituency of her leftwing credentials and to attract centrist voters out of step with Mr. Sarkozy's authoritarian ways.

With the result that Mr. Sarkozy has garnered support from the ultra liberal, pro-market votes from his own political family while successfully wooing extreme right voters who are in favour of tough policing and anti-immigrant policies.

However, Mr. Le Pen's improved showing in the polls - he was recently credited with 17 per cent of the vote placing him at the same level as in 2002 when he entered the second round - might prevent Mr. Sarkozy from winning over 26 per cent on April 22.

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