Nicolas Sarkozy

Hollande Dept: The conservative incumbent was still shown losing to Hollande in a second-round run-off, but by a narrower margin of nine points, down from 13 points two weeks ago, according to Montreal Gazette. His ultimatum on toughening border controls and protecting European companies during a rally near Paris has been largely dismissed by EU diplomats as campaign rhetoric, but it spoke directly to the far-right voters he needs to rally to his camp and president Nicolas Sarkozy overtook Socialist challenger Fran ois Hollande for the first time on Tuesday in an opinion poll on the first round of France's April-May election after attacking the European Union's trade and immigration policies. It is too soon to predict a turnaround, but Sarkozy's gain showed he struck a chord with voters with a threat Sunday to erect unilateral barriers to trade and immigration unless the EU takes tougher stands. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.