Paris, France (CNSNews.com) - French voters turned out in near record high numbers on Sunday to choose two candidates from opposing parties who will face off against each other in a second round to become the country's next president.

Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal received the most votes in a field of 12 candidates that ranged from far left Trotskyite parties to far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. Turnout was 84 percent, the highest since 1965.

The Union for a Popular Movement's candidate, Sarkozy, who served as Interior and Economy minister in President Jacques Chirac's government, and Royal, a minister in Francois Mitterrand's Socialist government, will both make an all-out effort to woo centrist voters ahead of the May 6 run-off.

The third highest vote was for centrist Francois Bayrou who campaigned with a conciliatory message targeting left and right and promising to bring the two opposing sides together in cooperation. Le Pen came in fourth with 10.5 percent of the vote.

Sarkozy, the 52-year-old son of a Hungarian immigrant, received 31.1 percent of the vote, and 53-year-old Royal got 25.9 percent. Bayrou, the 55-year-old son of a farmer, got 18.5 percent of the vote.

During campaigning for the first round, the candidates concentrated on addressing France's problems, which include unrest among North African immigrants and their descendents, who rioted in poor suburban housing projects in 2005.

Chronically high unemployment and France's sluggish and uncompetitive economy are also a major concern to voters.

Foreign relations are generally not an issue in French presidential elections despite being among the president's duties.

Foreign policy for the candidates is considered a "domain where the president, a little like a monarch, would have a large latitude of action but would not necessarily have to face the judgment of the French population," said Jean-Yves Camus, an associate analyst with IRIS (Institute of International and Strategic Relations).

Nonetheless, during the campaign both candidates innovated by making trips abroad and even receiving endorsements from foreign leaders.

Sarkozy met with President George W. Bush last September - and received wide criticism for doing so from the anti-American left. Royal has traveled to China and was joined by Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero at a rally last week.

On the whole, however, there is not a large difference in the leading candidates' foreign policies.

Sarkozy is seen as the most pro-American and the closest in ideology to Bush, but he has said France was right not to support the war in Iraq. Calling himself a friend of the U.S., he said in the same sentence that France would preserve its independence in defense and foreign policy.

"If Sarkozy is elected, there will be a continuation of the French-American partnership in which there will, in the end, not be a great change," Camus predicted.

Royal is not considered anti-American. With the first round behind her, and other leftist parties having done poorly, Camus said she has become "less of a prisoner" of the virulently anti-U.S. far-left.

On the Middle East, both candidates say they support Israel's right to security but also back a Palestinian state and would like France and Europe to play a role in negotiating peace in the region.

On Iran, Royal has said she opposes Tehran's development of nuclear power for both military and civilian use while Sarkozy has said he would only oppose the development of nuclear weapons.

Sarkozy and Royal are both supporters of a strong European Union but want to defend France's economic interests and social model.

Sarkozy opposes Turkish membership in the E.U., while the Socialists are mostly - but not unanimously - in favor. There is also division among Socialists on a European constitution, which conservatives actively support.

If elected, Royal would become France's first woman president.

Chirac, who will retire at 74, was elected twice and served for 12 years.

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