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Landslide for Chirac

By Vaiju Naravane

Paris May 5. France's incumbent conservative President, Jacques Chirac, today scored a landslide victory over his far right opponent, Jean Marie Le Pen, to win a second Presidential term. The republican front that the French had striven to build during the past two weeks in order to combat the rise of the extreme right wing, xenophobic National Front appears to have borne fruit. Mr Chirac won 82.1 per cent of the vote while Mr. Le Pen polled less than 17.9 per cent.

There was rejoicing and dancing in the streets of Paris and all major French towns. The Place de la Republic, where Charles de Gaulle presented the country's future Constitution under which Mr Chirac was elected today, was thick with people. Crowds braved inclement weather — both wind and rain — to show their satisfaction at Mr. Chirac's victory.

(Earlier story under International section)

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