Four-way fight

摘要

With just three weeks left before they go to the polls for the first round of their presidential election, French voters seem in a capricious mood. If there is one thing they dislike, it is a pre-written electoral script. They demonstrated this in 2002 by putting the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen into the second round, ahead of the Socialist candidate. They did it again in 2005, by rejecting the European Union constitution in a referendum. This year they have already staged one rebellion in the opinion polls, by catapulting a third man-Francois Bayrou-into the leading pack. As his novelty value seems to be fading, what surprise might the French electorate have in store next?