Sarkozy and Hollande Advance to Second Round

President Nicolas Sarkozy will face the Socialist candidate François Hollande in the second round of French presidential voting on May 6, according to early results and national projections.


Mr. Hollande received the most votes on Sunday with 28.4 percent, according to projections published by Le Monde. Mr. Sarkozy received 25.5 percent. The two had been widely expected to move on in what will likely be a tough re-election battle for Mr. Sarkozy.

In an early surprise in the results, which trickled out on foreign news sites and Twitter but were unveiled at the officially sanctioned time of 8 p.m in France, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen placed third with more than 20 percent of the vote. Ms. Le Pen, of the National Front party, bested the left-wing Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came in fourth with more than 11 percent.