This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6574891.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| French rivals end campaign push | |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| The candidates in France's presidential election have wound up their campaigns ahead of Sunday's first round vote. | |
| After official campaigning closed at midnight (2200 GMT), a ban on opinion polls and campaigning came into force. | |
| The leading candidates are centre-right Nicolas Sarkozy, Socialist Segolene Royal, centrist Francois Bayrou, and far-right leader Jean-Marie le Pen. | |
| More than one-third of voters are said to be still undecided. The final round of voting will take place on 6 May. | |
| The BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris says that in their final rallies the candidates tried to outflank each other in their appeals to patriotism and promises to tackle France's economic problems. | |
| But Sarko and Sego, as the two main candidates have become known, have proved deeply divisive figures, giving the centrist, Francois Bayrou, a broad appeal that has made the outcome impossible to predict, our correspondent says. | |
| A 'fairer' France | |
| Mr Sarkozy was in the southern Camargue region on Friday trying to win round farmers. | |
| Ms Royal was continuing her informal style with a Socialist picnic near the city of Poitiers, while the centrist Francois Bayrou focused on the crucial working-class vote in the north. | |
| I cannot find any candidate that truly represents my views Muriel Calvez, 19 French voters' views | I cannot find any candidate that truly represents my views Muriel Calvez, 19 French voters' views |
| On Thursday evening, Mr Sarkozy appeared before 12,000 cheering supporters in Marseille, trying to shed the tough image he gained as interior minister. | On Thursday evening, Mr Sarkozy appeared before 12,000 cheering supporters in Marseille, trying to shed the tough image he gained as interior minister. |
| "To unite the French people, to be able to speak on their behalf, to be able to govern, you must be able to love," he said. | "To unite the French people, to be able to speak on their behalf, to be able to govern, you must be able to love," he said. |
| He was joined on stage by footballer Basile Boli and a range of former prime ministers and ministers. | He was joined on stage by footballer Basile Boli and a range of former prime ministers and ministers. |
| Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero appeared with Ms Royal in the south-western city of Toulouse. | Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero appeared with Ms Royal in the south-western city of Toulouse. |
| Ms Royal promised to build a "fairer and stronger" France Europe Diary: A useful vote | Ms Royal promised to build a "fairer and stronger" France Europe Diary: A useful vote |
| To the sound of thumping rock music and the cheers of about 15,000 supporters, Ms Royal promised a "fairer and stronger" France - "a France that does not discriminate against a job-seeker because he does not have the right skin colour, the right name, the right address". | To the sound of thumping rock music and the cheers of about 15,000 supporters, Ms Royal promised a "fairer and stronger" France - "a France that does not discriminate against a job-seeker because he does not have the right skin colour, the right name, the right address". |
| She got a deafening cheer when she said France would never go down on its knees for US President George Bush. | She got a deafening cheer when she said France would never go down on its knees for US President George Bush. |
| Not far away, in the town of Pau, Mr Bayrou, leader of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), said rising tensions in France concerned him. | Not far away, in the town of Pau, Mr Bayrou, leader of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), said rising tensions in France concerned him. |
| Far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the party's Riviera stronghold of Nice said a "great national wave will sweep away the oligarchy". | |
| New voters | |
| Mr Le Pen came a surprise second in the 2002 election, beating the Socialist candidate to reach the run-off second round, where he was defeated by Jacques Chirac. | Mr Le Pen came a surprise second in the 2002 election, beating the Socialist candidate to reach the run-off second round, where he was defeated by Jacques Chirac. |
| This time, there are more than one million newly registered voters, the biggest increase in 25 years. Many of them are young people or French citizens living abroad, whose voting intentions are hard to gauge. | This time, there are more than one million newly registered voters, the biggest increase in 25 years. Many of them are young people or French citizens living abroad, whose voting intentions are hard to gauge. |
| Another novelty is the use of electronic voting machines in some districts, criticised by the Socialists and some other opposition parties as dangerously unreliable. They will be used by 1.5 million voters. | Another novelty is the use of electronic voting machines in some districts, criticised by the Socialists and some other opposition parties as dangerously unreliable. They will be used by 1.5 million voters. |
| Ms Royal hopes to become France's first woman president, but left-wing voters are among the most volatile, surveys suggest. She has several rivals on the left who could undermine her support. | |