Hollande wins round one in French poll

Socialist challenger sets himself up for a May 6 runoff with Sarkozy as far-right leader Marine Le Pen comes third. Socialist challenger Francois Hollande has won the first round of the French presidential vote, setting himself up for a May 6 runoff with right-wing incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Estimates of the result broadcast on Sunday as polls closed gave Hollande 28.4 per cent, Sarkozy 25.5 per cent and the far-right's Marine Le Pen 20 per cent. Le Pen's surprisingly strong show could throw open opinion poll projections that give Hollande a 10-point lead in the runoff.France’s interior ministry announced 70.59 per cent voter turnout by 5pm. The number is considered relatively high, but slightly less than the exceptional 2007 turnout for the same time. The result of the May 6 runoff, the run-up to which will include a televised debate, will decide who will be France's president for the next five years. In all, 10 candidates competed in the first round of the race, with Hollande and Sarkozy trailed by far-right leader Le Pen, hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. A handful of outsiders round out the field. Voting began on Saturday in France's oversees territories, which are mainly islands dotted around the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Inside France, voting took place on Sunday in 85,000 polling stations across the country's European mainland. Casting of ballots began at 8am local time and continued until 8pm. Not all the voters were enthusiastic. Wilson Cohen, who had just voted in the 4th district of Paris, told Al Jazeera that he has little faith in the candidates. "They [the candidates] are all the same. As soon as they get into power, they forget about us," he said. "A lot of people have barely enough money to feed themselves after they pay their rent. But no one is talking about that." Sylvie Renaud Poulet, meanwhile, told Al Jazeera that she was “very afraid” about what the election results might be. “The big issue [of the election] is to save France and to save Europe,” she said. “I’m very concerned that many people will vote for candidates who are not reasonable, who offer things that are not possible in the current state of France.” Pivotal issues "This is an election that will weigh on the future of Europe. That's why many people are watching us,'' said Hollande after voting in Tulle, a town in central France. "They're wondering not so much what the winner's name will be, but especially what policies will follow. That's why I'm not in a competition just of personalities. I am in a competition in which I must give new breath of life to my country and a new commitment to Europe."Hollande says that Sarkozy has trapped France in a spiral of austerity and job losses, and has called for the European response to the debt crisis to be more pro-growth. Sarkozy, meanwhile, says that his rival is weak-willed and would spark panic in financial markets by adopting an approach that involves increased government spending. Al Jazeera's Tim Friend, reporting from Paris, said Sarkozy faced a stiff challenge due to his "extraordinary" unpopularity. "A lot of the people voting will be putting their ballot paper into the ballot box more against Sarkozy than perhaps for the candidate they eventually vote for," he said.