France’s Sarkozy on hunt for far-right votes
Nicolas Sarkozy went gunning for more than six million far-right votes on Monday in a bid to catch up with Socialist Francois Hollande, who took the lead in round one of the French presidential election.
But it looked increasingly unlikely that the leader of the anti-immigrant National Front, Marine Le Pen, whose party made a shock breakthrough, coming third in Sunday’s poll, would call on her followers to back him.
Hollande and Sarkozy — who beat eight other candidates — will now face each other in a runoff election on May 6.
In the first round, the Socialist beat the presidential incumbent by taking 28.63 of the vote compared with 27.18 per cent for his conservative rival, according to final official results.
The first opinion poll published after Sunday’s vote said Hollande would beat Sarkozy by 54 per cent to 46 in the second round.
Europe’s main stock markets fell sharply as traders reacted to the French election results.
In Paris, the CAC 40 index slumped 2.83 per cent to 3,098.37 points, its lowest level this year.
“The French poll adds to the markets’ mistrust of the eurozone,” said Renaud Murail, a Barclays Bourse trader.
Sarkozy moved quickly Monday in an attempt to woo the 18 per cent of voters who backed Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front, saying they deserved an answer to their concerns, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel termed her showing “alarming.”
Hollande’s score cemented his position as the clear leader in the race, dealing a blow to Sarkozy’s hopes of gaining enough momentum from a first-round win to defy opinion poll predictions and return to office.
But it was the showing of populist nationalist flag-bearer Le Pen that shook up the race, setting up her National Front voters as potential kingmakers.
“We must respect the voters’ will; it is our duty to listen,” Sarkozy told journalists.
“There was this crisis vote that doubled from one election to another — an answer must be given.”
Le Pen’s score on Sunday was nearly double the 10.4 per cent her father, JeanMarie, took when he ran as FN presidential candidate in the 2007.
Hollande resumed campaigning with a trip to the western region of Brittany, where he said the FN’S score reflected anger in the country and that he, too, would listen to far-right voters.
“Nicolas Sarkozy is to blame for the far right’s high level,” Hollande said. “There are voters who may have been led to this through anger. That is what I want to hear.”
Polls show most far-right supporters prefer Sarkozy, but up to a quarter — mainly working-class voters attracted by Le Pen’s protectionist trade policies — could switch to Hollande.
Analysts say it is extremely unlikely Le Pen will endorse either candidate in the second round.