Jean-Marie Le Pen, far-right leader, urged his supporters not to take part in voting in France's presidential runoff Sunday between conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal.

French opinion polls suggest Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal is making minor inroads against her center-right rival Nicolas Sarkozy. The latest polls show Royal trailing Sarkozy 48-52, closing the margin as the two prepare for a key televised debate Wednesday, and Sunday's second round of elections.

The poll released Friday showed that conservative Nicolas Sarkozy got six-point lead over Socialist Segolene Royal. But the final weekend of campaigning for the French presidency clearly recognize the winner.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the front runner on the presidential race of France, said Wednesday that the EU constitution was dead and the 27-country bloc needed a better president.

French voters are faced with a clear choice between liberal and conservative political parties, after Sunday's first-round presidential election. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal made it through to the run-off vote on May 6.

Preliminary results in France show conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal have won the first round of voting in the French presidential election. Nicolas Sarkozy, the former Interior Minister, held the lead with about 30 per cent of the vote. Segolene Royal trailed with about 25 percent. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris.

Citizens in France are going to the election polls Sunday in the first round of voting to choose a successor to President Jacques Chirac, who is stepping down after 12 years in office. The polls opened early Sunday morning. Results are expected shortly after the polls close Sunday night. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris.

The first round of voting in the French presidential election takes place on Sunday. It's a close race between the top two candidates, but large numbers of voters are still undecided. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris.

Friday is the last day of campaigning before the first round of voting in the presidential election in France. The two leading candidates, former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal, are running neck and neck. But record numbers of voters are still undecided.

The first round in the campaign for a new French president is in its final phase with candidates broadcasting their official campaign messages. The 12 candidates in this race have been campaigning for months, but Monday, they started the final, "official" part of the campaign.

The French presidential campaign entered its final phase Monday with a series of carefully choreographed spots by candidates, two weeks before the first round of voting. France's audiovisual regulator has allotted each candidate 45 minutes of airtime on public TV channels until April 20 - two days before the first round, when all candidates must stop their campaigning and no polls can be published.

French President Jacques Chirac has announced his support for Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy in the upcoming presidential elections. Mr. Chirac Wednesday said that he is supporting Sarkozy because he is the choice of the conservative ruling party, the Union for a Popular Movement (UPM). Mr. Chirac founded the group in 2002.