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Summary In Paris, turnout was even higher than in 2007, at 21.68 percent compared with 20 percent.
French voters overcame fears of a low turnout in their presidential election on Sunday, beating expectations with a greater than expected participation rate of 28.29 percent at midday.While that figure was down from 31.21 percent at the same stage in the 2007 race, Sundays interim turnout was much higher than the 21.41 percent recorded in 2002 and the second highest in any presidential race since 1981.In Paris, turnout was even higher than in 2007, at 21.68 percent compared with 20 percent, and AFP reporters saw long queues at several polling stations.In 2007, when right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy beat Socialist Segolene Royal in a passionately fought race, final turnout was especially high at nearly 74 percent.Polling opened at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) in mainland France, and by midday there were queues at many voting centres, despite opinion pollsters warning that the election would be marred by a higher abstention rate than normal.Voting was to end between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.The 2012 campaigns of incumbent Sarkozy and his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande have not drawn crowds.Sundays first round will whittle the field down from 10 candidates to two -- in all likelihood Hollande and Sarkozy -- and the frontrunners will face each other in a second-round run-off on May 6.
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