More than 52 percent of the votes cast by French nationals living in Algeria went to Segolene Royal, candidate of the Socialist Party, during the first round of French presidential elections, Algerian daily El Watan reported Wednesday.

Francois Bayrou, candidate of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), took the second position by garnering 20 percent of the votes while Nicolas Sarkozy, candidate of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), came in a distant third with 10 percent, according to the daily.

About 27,000 French nationals living in Algeria, mostly dual citizens, registered to vote in the first round of the elections held Sunday.

Algiers, capital of Algeria, and Oran, a big city in western Algeria, recorded a combined total of 20,557 registered voters while Annaba, another major city in the east of the country, had 6, 465 registered voters.

The national results from the French Interior Ministry showed that Sarkozy was the winner in the first round of the elections by seizing 31 percent of all the valid votes while Royal came in second with 25 percent.

The two candidates will face off during the second round of the elections slated to be held on May 6, 2007.

Source: Xinhua