PARIS (Reuters):

Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France's presidential election yesterday, and will meet Socialist rival Sgolen Royal in a run-off vote, initial returns showed.

With 98.65 per cent of the vote counted, Sarkozy had 31.1 per cent of the vote, Royal was in second place on 25.8 per cent, and centrist Franois Bayrou in third place on 18.5 per cent.

Far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who stunned France by coming second in the 2002 election, looked set to finish a distant fourth with around 10.5 per cent.

As expected, no one won an absolute majority, so the top two candidates will go forward to a second-round ballot on May 6.

Initial estimates pointed to a huge turnout of up to 85 per cent which, if confirmed, would be a record for a first-round vote in more than 40 years.