France's campaign for the presidential run-off got underway at midnight with new posters and addresses by the two runners - centre-right Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist contender Segolene Royal.

Nicolas Sarkozy claimed 31 % and Segolene Royal - 26 % of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections. The two candidates will meet in the run-off on May 6 to set up a classic right versus left fight.

Centrist Francois Bayrou, who tried to bridge the divide between the two traditional parties, came in third with 18,55%, while right-wing nationalist leader Jean Marie Le Pen got 10,51%.

No one of the other eight candidates gathered more than five percent of the votes.

Voter turnout among the 44,5 million eligible voters was 85,6%, setting a new record for the first round of a presidential election in France. Only 73% voted at the same stage of the election in 2002.

Centre-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, the former finance and interior minister, campaigned on a platform that focuses on reforming the floundering French social model, cutting taxes and pushing free-market reforms.

His Socialist opponent in the run-offs, Segolene Royal, offered to reverse some of the reforms passed during Jacques Chirac's two terms in office, as well as raising the minimum wage.

Whichever one wins will have make some tough decisions about a wide range of issues where change is needed in order to revive a divided society and stagnating economy.

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