French choose a man on the right to lead

Web Extra | With 85 percent voter turnout, Nicolas Sarkozy beats socialist candidate Ségolène Royal to win the presidency | The Editors

Sundays in France are typically the quietest day of the week. Most stores are closed and in cities large and small, quiet afternoons with family are the norm. But May 6 was one of the most anticipated elections in more than 25 years, and everyone skipped the usual afternoon tranquility to vote and wait for results.

They came by early evening as the candidate of the right, Nicolas Sarkozy, pulled cleanly ahead of socialist candidate Ségolène Royal to win the presidency. Sarkozy's margin was over 53 percent to Royal's nearly 47 percent. More surprising was voter turnout: a record 85 percent, the highest ever in a French presidential election.

In Paris, Royal conceded minutes after definitive results were announced. "The universal suffrage has spoken," she said with her characteristically broad smile.