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French candidates in final push

By Zein Basravi for CNN

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(CNN) -- Campaigning in the French presidential elections drew to a close Friday after a last push by candidates to draw ahead in a race that has yet to produce a decisive frontrunner.

With more than two in five voters polled saying they were still unsure, the country will have a state-mandated "day of reflection" -- during which campaigning is barred -- on Saturday before polls open the following day.

The French use a two-round election system. Unless a candidate obtains a majority of the vote in the first round, the top two contenders face off in a second round of voting on May 6.

The next president of France will inherit a nation on the brink of an economic crisis, struggling with national identity and coping with a poverty-stricken immigrant community still reeling from the 2005 youth riots.

So far all signs put conservative Nicolas Sarkozy in the hot seat with socialist Segolene Royal in second place. While Sarkozy has led the pack throughout campaigning, Royal has gained steady momentum and rallied for a strong show at the polls.

"I call on all voters to come out massively in the first round," Royal told France Inter radio on Friday, according to a Reuters report.

Royal started strong and elbowed out male rivals in her party to emerge as a front-runner. While her campaign wavered for a time due to string of foreign policy blunders, she regained momentum to beat out Francois Bayrou and Jen Marie Le-Pen in the top four.

In a final flurry of personal sniping, Royal took aim at Sarkozy again.

Front-runner Sarkozy said his critics were "fascists" distracting people from his real message.

"I am covered in scars," he told Le Parisien daily, reflecting the aggressive tone of this campaign.

CNN's Senior Correspondent Jim Bittermann said the campaign had been fierce compared to previous presidential races.

"It has been a really intense campaign, probably more so than usual," he said. "The turnout I'm sure is going to be high on Sunday just because I think the people are so interested."

Bittermann added that the election buzz was inescapable on the streets of Paris.

"Everywhere you go people are talking about the election," he said. "Every taxi driver, every news stand vendor is talking about the election and usually the first question is, what do you think is going to happen?"

Bittermann said the mood was tense since people have lost confidence in the exit polls. He added that at this stage of the game, any one of the top four candidates could end up in the top two.

Campaign shenanigans

Official candidate posters are a big part of the country's presidential campaign.

Their use is highly regulated and every voting station must display enough billboards to accommodate each of the 12 candidates. Posters, often defaced with moustaches and other forms of graffiti, are replaced constantly.

An already confused voting public was confused further when pranksters went around putting up official posters of candidates from previous elections, including the late Francois Mitterrand, president of France from 1981 to 1995.

"It created a great confusion among the voters," Bittermann said. "It felt like they'd gone into a time warp."

CNN's Senior Correspondent Jim Bittermann contributed to this report

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