French president frontrunner Hollande casts vote in final round

Paris, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The second round of polling that will decide the next French president between Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande started in mainland France on Sunday morning.

Socialist challenger Hollande cast his vote at 10:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT) in Tulle, central France, where he served as the mayor from 2001 to 2008.

Shaking hands and taking pictures, Hollande spent generous time with supporters and journalists before casting his ballot following a line like everybody else.

The Left Front leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who finished forth in the first round, cast his ballot earlier in the day.

The incumbent president Sarkozy was expected to vote in the 16th arrondisment (district) in Paris at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0930 GMT).

Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) as France's 46 million registered voters chose between the right-wing incumbent president and the Socialist challenger.

Xinhua correspondents in Paris 17th district saw more than a dozen voters waiting in the drizzle outside polling stations to cast their ballots early in the morning.

"I voted for Hollande," Alain, a registered voter in the 17th arrondisment told Xinhua," Sarkozy will lose because his behavioral problem, while Hollande will bring social justice and coherence to France."

Another voter, Pierre, said that Sarkozy "lost the game long time ago." However, the voter was not confident about a Hollande administration either.

A young man who voted for Sarkozy said he hoped that the incumbent would "help the country get out of the crisis."

Early polling in French overseas territories were held on Saturday due to time differences, starting from the small French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the east coast of Canada.

Results of the polling will be announced after all the voting booths in mainland France close at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

Latest polls by Friday night when the election campaigns officially ended, showed that support for Sarkozy slightly raised to 48 percent, while Hollande still enjoying a 4 points lead.

The first round election on April 22 has seen Hollande beat Sarkozy with 28.63 percent of the vote, while the latter gathered 27.18 percent, with a turnout rate of more than 79 percent. (Xinhua-ANI)