Sarkozy and Royal go ahead to second round

Sunday, April 22, 2007

On Sunday evening at 9:15 p.m., the Interior Ministry of France announced official results with 98% of ballots counted in the first round of the 2007 French presidential election. Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP) and Ségolène Royal (Socialist Party) will be the two candidates to proceed to the second round, as their lead on the competition is insurmountable.

Sarkozy received the most votes, with 31.11% of the vote. Royal received 25.83% of the vote. The two other main candidates, François Bayrou (UDF) and Jean-Marie Le Pen (National Front) got 18.55% and 10.51%, respectively. No other candidate received more than 5%.

The election registered a turnout of 84.5%, the highest in nearly 50 years. The second round will be held on Sunday, May 6, 2007.