So here I am back from the voting booth. I am in a little town (3000 inhabitants) and the place was quite crowded. A lot of young people are coming to vote, some for the first time for sure seeing the hesitations.

One first good point is that the participation level is higher than any other presidential election since 1981 !

We will see during the day what will come out of it.

An hour and a half to wait for us to know who the finalists will be. No results are to be shown before 8pm (Paris time). In fact, that is the case for the french media, they're not allowed to put any results before this time but the foreign newspapers are not compelled to follow that law so I'm desperately trying to read some belgian or swiss news sites but I think I'm not the only trying to do this, there seems to be a lot of servers overload !
No estimations so far.

Looks like it should be Royal - Sarkozy, but eh...gotta be carefiul with that.

Yes, according to letemps.ch, Sarkoy could be in the lead with 30%, followed by Royal at 25.5%, Bayrou at 19% and LePen at 11%.
But these are in no way official figures so we mstill have to wait until 8pm.

We just studied French govt in my comparative politics class, so I shall be following this to see how it goes.

Well, if the figures I just gave you are confirmed by the results, this will be a classic left/right 2nd round.

Eh...I'm not gonna lie, i didn't vote for Sarkozy. And i'll never vote for him.

French face last-minute decision
By Alasdair Sandford
BBC News, Paris

Inevitably, the election has dominated conversations here, and not just among those turning up to vote at the magnificent sun-bathed town hall in the French capital's 19th arrondissement.

Young families pushing prams talked about it as they greeted neighbours at outdoor cafes.

After casting their ballot, others chatted about their choice as they queued at the boulangerie next door for their Sunday lunchtime baguette.

This part of Paris has an eclectic mix of people. In the surrounding streets, council estates nestle behind the decorative facades of 19th-Century blocks of flats.

Immigrant families live alongside those from the Bobo generation: the "bourgeois bohemians" who are increasingly populating the city's former working class districts.

'The Bayrou effect'

"Anyone but Sarko" has been uppermost in many people's minds as they opt for whoever they feel is best placed to keep out the former interior minister.

Zina, who works in the marketing department for a French television station, has backed the socialist candidate.

"He's going to bring a lot of trouble. I don't think he's the one who's stopping the violence; I think he's producing it.

"I don't like the way he's putting people against each other."

She feels that Segolene Royal needs to be given a chance, although she would like her to be clearer on issues like immigration and unemployment.

The socialists here and in neighbouring districts of Paris have been afraid of the "Bayrou effect".

The centrist candidate is thought to have a high backing among the capital's professionals.

Difficult choice

Benjamin, a young father out walking with his 18-month-old son, tells me that after much hesitation, he has indeed voted for Francois Bayrou.

Whether the socialists can hold off the man from the "extreme centre" is one of the key questions of the first round.

Jean-Philippe, a 46-year-old artist, was also undecided for a long time, like millions of other French voters.

He will not say who he has backed, but admits the choice was difficult.

The support he gives to his preferred candidate is hardly resounding, and reflects many people's disillusionment with politicians.

"There isn't one who can unite the country," he says.

Danielle, who is 60 years old and retired, has just voted for Jean-Marie Le Pen.

"It's because of immigration, and the racaille and everything," she says, citing the word meaning "rabble" or "scum" once used so controversially by Nicolas Sarkozy to describe urban troublemakers.

She acknowledges that hers is a protest vote.

"It is a sort of revolt, but there's some cleaning-up to be done."

She intends to back Mr Sarkozy in the second round, assuming the National Front leader is eliminated.

Opposite the town hall, in the beautifully landscaped Parc des Buttes Chaumont, the early morning joggers gradually gave way to the lunchtime picnic brigade.

The sunny weather has helped contribute to what looks like being a very high turnout.

Come 2000 (1800 GMT), most people are likely to be back indoors, parked before their television screens.

Segolene Royal is smokin' hot.

I wouldn't go that far...She's...a woman, she certainly gets sexy points for that though.

she's not that bad.



and bateman, i never realized you were French!

Nah she's not bad really.
And, thanx ? I think ?

How does the French presidency work? Is there also a Prime Minister? Who has the real power?

For her age, I'd definitely agree.

Its a semi-presidential system with both Pres and PM. The President has superior constitutional powers, including nominating the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is effectively the head of the cabinet. The PM is also responsive to the National Assembly, so this can lead to Pres and PM of different parties. The President is responsible for foreign policy, while the PM usually oversees domestic policy.

Segolene Royal is definitely a socialist milf

84% of people voted, that's pretty impressive

Today's the big day.