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CNN Sunday Morning

French Voters Cast Ballots in Contentious Election

Aired May 05, 2002 - 07:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in France, voters are casting ballots today in the contentious election, but it has ignited demonstrations in the streets and concern in world capitals. The presidential runoff pits incumbent Jacques Chirac against up-start challenger, Jean-Marie Le Pen and views largely considered far right. We go to Hala Gorani. She's live in Paris to tell us more on the latest in these elections.

Hi Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. Well, this is the choice facing French voters today. These are official ballots. You've either got Jacques Chirac, the incumbent candidate or Jean- Marie Le Pen, the far right stunner, really, the surprise victor in the first round, who came in second, beating out mainstream left politician Lionel Jospin.

Forty-one million registered voters in France. Eleven million of them abstained in the first round. The big question is -- how many of those voters who abstained the first round will come out and vote for Jacques Chirac in order to prevent Jean-Marie Le Pen from gaining a substantial percentage of the electorate.

Right now, what we're seeing is that voter participation is not that high in the second round. It's actually lower than in the second round in 1995. That was the last time France went to the voting stations in order to elect a president for the second round.

Now, you mentioned some protests and some controversy. In the last two weeks, France has been in a state of shock, trying to explain how the 73-year-old extreme right leader managed to make it in the presidential runoff in France, beating out, as I said, Lionel Jospin, who's been prime minister of this country for the last five years.

So basically, that's what we're waiting for. We've got another seven hours of voting ahead of us. Polls here in France indicate that Jacques Chirac should win by a landslide. However, there could be another surprise, some pollsters say. We could see Jean-Marie Le Pen perhaps achieving a very high score, maybe a third of the electorate. If that happens, that will once again potentially plunge France into another -- into another state -- into another climate of social dismay.

Also, remember that the sixth and the 19th of June, we have parliamentary elections. And what happens then is also very important. If left-wing parties win, we'll have another period of cohabitation, that very French way of leading the country where you could have a prime minister from the left and a president from the right.

And that's the very latest on what's happening here. We're coming to you live from a voting station right outside of Paris. Back to you in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: Hala Gorani, thank you so much. We'll check in with you as those elections take place.

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