France's presidential election..[ 2832 ]

French voters head to polls for presidential election

By the CNN Wire Staff

April 22, 2012 -- Updated 0628 GMT (1428 HKT)

France's presidential election

Paris (CNN) -- Voters in France cast ballots Sunday in a presidential race that pits incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy against nine other candidates, including Socialist Francois Hollande.

Voting started Saturday in France's overseas territories, including Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique and French Polynesia. Voters in mainland France headed to the polls Sunday.

In addition to Sarkozy and Hollande, candidates include Jean-Luc Melenchon on the extreme left, Marine Le Pen on the extreme right, centrist Francois Bayrou and Eva Joly of the Greens.

Last week, opinion polls suggested Sarkozy was trailing Hollande going into the first round of voting.

The economy and jobs have been key election issues, as France struggles to overcome low growth and a 10% unemployment rate.

Sarkozy, the flamboyant center-right politician who has led the country since 2007, told Le Figaro newspaper Thursday that voters had a "crucial choice" to make for their country. He pledged new strategies for economic growth and job creation, saying France was seeing signs of recovery this year.

Hollande, a center-left candidate, called for a European Central Bank rate cut in an interview Friday on French radio station Europe 1.

"There are two ways we can go. The first is to lower interest rates if we indeed believe this is a way to support growth. And I believe it is, and that the European Central Bank should go in that direction," Hollande said. The second way, he told Europe 1, "would be to lend directly to states themselves, rather than the chosen path, which has been to support the banks."

Asked if, as president, he would participate in a U.N.-led military intervention in Syria, Hollande said: "Yes, if it is at the request of the United Nations, we would participate in this intervention."

Sarkozy, who has been vocal on the international stage, told Europe 1 on Thursday that France was at the center of diplomatic efforts to put pressure on Syria over its crackdown on dissidents.

In an interview Friday with CNN affiliate BFM-TV, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested Hollande was jumping on the bandwagon with regard to Syria.

"The problem with François Hollande is that in matters of foreign affairs, he is always running behind the train," he said.

"France's position has long been known; we will participate in military operations under a U.N. mandate, but when all is said and done, France is not a spectator at the United Nations, it doesn't wait for U.N. decisions; it is a player, it creates solutions and all that's around them, as we have been doing now for weeks and weeks."

A survey from CSA for BFM-TV, published Friday, gives Hollande 28% of the vote in the first round to 25% for Sarkozy.

If no candidate wins an absolute majority, a runoff election between the two with the most votes will take place May 6.

A second round matchup between the two front-runners would see Hollande extend his lead to 57% support, compared with 43% for Sarkozy, the survey suggests.

Three other candidates made it into double digits in polling ahead of the first-round vote: Jean-Luc Melenchon on the extreme left, Marine Le Pen on the extreme right and Francois Bayrou, a centrist.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne, Azanie M'packo and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.