French vote in large numbers in election run-off

PARIS, May 6 (Reuters) French voters turned out in droves today for an election run-off in which conservative Nicolas Sarkozy was widely expected to defeat Socialist Segolene Royal in her bid to become France's first woman president.

Sarkozy, a 52-year-old former interior minister, has promised reforms to make France work more, crack down on crime and cut unemployment. Royal, a 53-year-old regional leader, says she will create jobs but keep a generous social welfare system.

Final opinion polls gave Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, a commanding 10-point lead over Royal in the race to succeed conservative Jacques Chirac after 12 years in office.

By 2030 hrs turnout was 75.11 per cent against 73.87 per cent at the same time in the first round vote on April 22, the Interior Ministry said.

Opinion polls giving an initial indication of the result were expected immediately after voting ends at 2330 hrs. First partial official results were due soon afterwards.

The winner will inherit a fractured, fragile society in need of economic reform and a dose of self-belief even though France is a nuclear power, has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and is the euro zone's second largest economy.

The election marks a generational shift with the departure of Chirac, 74, but just how far France is ready for change is open to question.

''Segolene Royal is a woman who for me has reinvented the way we do politics by wanting to involve the citizens,'' said Lilian Charlet, a 47-year-old director of a training organisation in Rennes in western France.

But Marie-France Dias de Lima, a 33-year-old florist who voted for Sarkozy in a wealthy suburb west of Paris, said: ''I would rather have someone who focuses on the economy than someone who focuses on social problems.'' POWERFUL ROLE The president is elected for five years, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, nominates the prime minister, has the right to dissolve the National Assembly and is responsible for foreign and defence policies.

Sarkozy won almost 31.2 per cent of votes in the first round and Royal secured nearly 25.9 per cent. Much of the second-round campaign focused on trying to woo supporters of centrist Francois Bayrou, who was third with more than 18 per cent.

Bayrou said he would not back Sarkozy and fourth-placed Jean-Marie Le Pen, the veteran far-right leader, urged his supporters to abstain.

Sarkozy said nothing as he voted, with supporters chanting: ''Sarkozy for president''. Unlike in the first round, he was not accompanied by his wife Cecilia, further fuelling speculation of a marital rift.

Royal smiled broadly as she voted and backers shouted ''Royal for president.'' She has proposed combining left-wing economic policies and a consensual approach to social affairs in a ''change without brutality'' reform package.

Sarkozy, seen as the business community's favourite, has vowed to shake up the economy to boost annual growth from around two per cent, reduce unemployment estimated to be at least 8.3 per cent, and boost spending power.

Royal says a Sarkozy victory could spark violence in suburbs where he is unpopular and alienated youths rioted in 2005.

Sarkozy's campaign team has dismissed such accusations and portrayed Royal as a gaffe-prone lightweight who has not said how she will fund her social policies.

Neither candidate would be likely to drift far from Chirac's foreign policies but Sarkozy is considered closer to the United States and opposes Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

Reuters SM DB2115