First round of presidential election begins in France, with jobs, sour economy high in minds

Voting has begun in the first round of the French presidential election that is expected to mark the end of Nicolas Sarkozy's turbulent term in office.
Polls put Mr Sarkozy behind his socialist rival Francois Hollande, who has emerged as the clear favourite.
Mr Sarkozy has warned that if Mr Hollande becomes president the country will face an immediate economic crisis.
He says his rival is inexperienced and weak-willed and would spark panic on financial markets with reckless spending pledges.
But Mr Hollande says Mr Sarkozy has trapped France in a downward spiral of austerity and job losses.
The French public is also unhappy with Mr Sarkozy's personality, which many complain is too brash.
Mr Hollande cast his vote at a polling station in Tulle in the central Correze region, where he is the local parliamentary representative and heads the regional council.
"I am attentive, engaged, but first of all respectful," he told journalists.
"The day ahead will be a long one, this is an important moment."
The results of the first round will be known tomorrow morning.
Mr Sarkozy needs a victory to give him fresh momentum ahead of the two-candidate second round in two weeks.
The May 6 run-off will decide who runs what is commonly regarded as the world's fifth greatest power for the next five years.
The race will include a head-to-head televised debate that could be Mr Sarkozy's last chance to change his fortunes.


Balloting got under way Saturday in France’s embassies and overseas holdings. Polls have shown that concerns about jobs — with the unemployment rate hovering near a 10-year high — and the economy are top issues.


The campaign has often centered on hot-button issues such as immigration, Islam in France, and calls for taxes on the rich — which experts suggest will in fact have little effect on France’s high state budget deficit.


TV images showed Hollande and several other candidates voting at polling stations around France. Some voters expressed disappointment about the crop of presidential aspirants, while others say France needs a new track.


“I think most people are not satisfied with the last five years, people want change, especially in terms of job creation,” said voter Eli Lazovsky, a 38-year-old hotel manager, after casting a ballot in a well-to-do Paris neighborhood off the Champs-Elysees.


The Interior Ministry was expected to release its first estimates of turnout around midday. A high abstention rate could alter the political terrain by giving more influence to more ideological — and less centrist — voters.

The presidential election will determine the make-up of the next government and will finish just a month before elections for the National Assembly that is currently controlled by Sarkozy’s conservatives.