Sarkozy vows to heal French election wounds

Right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy, who had sought a mandate for radical reform, emphatically won France's presidential election yesterday, but promised to heal the wounds of the bitterly fought campaign.

"I will not betray you, I will not lie to you, I will not disappoint you," Sarkozy told tens of thousands of supporters packed into a Paris square as news spread of his triumph over the Socialist Segolene Royal.

Riot police also fought hundreds of anti-Sarkozy rioters in Paris and others cities with tear gas and water cannon.

Sarkozy won the battle to be France's new generation leader in place of President Jacques Chirac with 53% of the vote as against 47% for Royal, according to official results. The estimated turnout of 85% was the highest in three decades.

Amid wild celebrations in the capital, Sarkozy, 52, who has fought to soften his tough-talking image, said he would be the President of the whole nation. "My thoughts go out to all those French people who did not vote for me," he said in a victory speech at the party headquarters of his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

"I want to say to them that above and beyond the political fight, above and beyond differences of opinion, for me there is only one France. I will be President of all the French. I will speak for all of them," he said.

Sarkozy gave the same unifying message to more than 30,000 followers in the Place de la Concorde where he promised to "turn a new page" in French history.

"I recognise the immense responsibilities that weigh on my shoulders," he declared. "I want to say to everyone: I will not betray you, I will not lie to you, I will not disappoint you."

At the Socialist Party headquarters, Royal supporters, many in tears, gloomily digested a third consecutive presidential defeat after 1995 and 2002. "I gave it all I had and will continue to be with you and close to you," Royal said. But many experts now expect bitter recriminations within the left wing party over its new humiliation.

World leaders were quick to acknowledge Sarkozy as the new French leader. US President George W. Bush telephoned to congratulate him on his victory within an hour of polls closing, said a White House spokesman.

Some hope for a new era in US-France relations after the frostiness caused by Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war. Sarkozy said the United States can count on friendship from France but urged Washington to show leadership in the struggle against global warming and that it would be a priority for his government.

Sarkozy said: "A great nation like the United States has the duty to not create obstacles in the struggle against global warming."

Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a host of European leaders also telephoned Sarkozy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was convinced Sarkozy would maintain the French-German axis at the heart of the European Union. (PTI)