A narrow victory in this round has given Francois Hollande crucial momentum ahead of the run-off in two weeks' time. Photo by EPA/BGNES
The gap between Socialist candidate for French president Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy has tightened to just 1%, it emerged in the early hours on Monday.
With about 75% of votes counted, Hollande had 27.9% support, followed by Sarkozy at 26.7%.
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen garnered 19.3% of this early vote, Jean-Luc Melenchon on the extreme left had 10.8% and centrist Francois Bayrou had 9.8%.
The results set the stage for a May 6 runoff between Hollande and Sarkozy. Under French law, if no candidate wins an absolute majority, the two top candidates faceoff.
Analysts have said supporters of centrist Francois Bayrou, who garnered 9.8% of the votes in the first round, may side allegiance with Sarkozy at the runoff.
In his speech Sunday night in the capital, Sarkozy thanked citizens for voting during what he called "a time of crisis" -- saying "I know (their) worries, and I understand them."
He proposed three debates over the next two weeks, focused on the economy, social issues and foreign policy.
"The French people have the right to truth and clarity," said Sarkozy, who has been an outspoken leader on the global scene even as he has presided over a period of significant economic challenges since taking over in 2007. "Everyone will be able to make their choice with full knowledge."
After the results began to come in, Hollande said he was "best placed to become the next president of the republic" and that Sarkozy had been punished by voters.
"The choice is simple, either continue policies that have failed with a divisive incumbent candidate or raise France up again with a new, unifying president," Hollande said.
Sunday's turnout was 81%, with more than 12.5 million votes cast, according to the Interior Ministry.