Voters in the French Pacific have defied the trend in France and backed the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential race.
He won a clear majority in both New Caledonia and French Polynesia as Francois Hollande secured an overall majority.
Walter Zweifel reports.
"Wallis and Futuna opted for the Socialist challenger, Francois Hollande, who won 56 percent of the votes. French Polynesia's voters gave just over 53 percent to Nicolas Sarkozy, repeating his success in the first round, and confirming his result of 2007. This came despite a strong campaign by the ruling Tavini Huiraatira Party on behalf of Mr Hollande. New Caledonia overwhelmingly voted for Mr Sarkozy, giving him 63 percent the vote and putting the territory on track to again be his strongest electorate. In Dumbea, in the Noumea area, he won almost 84 percent of the votes. The election was overshadowed in Tahiti by an inmate released for a few hours to vote killing his wife and then trying to commit suicide."
