Sarkozy wins French election

May 6 - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy comfortably beats Socialist rival Segolene Royal in French presidential elections.

That's according to official early exit polls which indicate that Sarkozy has gained 53 percent of the vote. Reuters reporter Darcy Lambton has the latest.

Follow Reuters Global Coverage of the French presidential election.

• Sarkozy wins French presidency
  Nicolas Sarkozy has won a clear mandate to govern France and introduce reforms to shake up Europe's second largest economy.
  • Protesters riot across France
    Rioters clash with police across France after Sarkozy wins the presidential elections.
  • Sarkozy is announced the winner of French elections
    Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy comfortably beats Socialist rival Segolene Royal in French presidential elections.
  • Royal throws in the towel
    Socialist leader Segolene Royal concedes defeat to newly-elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
  • Belgian sites forecast Sarkozy victory
    Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy is on course to win France's presidential elections, say Belgian media.
  • Global Covearge: French presidential elections
    Darcy Lambton speaks to Reuters reporter Richard Edgar on the ground in Paris as the country's bitterly contested presidential run off nears the finishing line.
  • French choose next President
    Richard Edgar reports on the factors swaying minds of voters in and around Paris on the eve of the election.
  • Presidential candidates vote
    Segolene Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy cast their votes at the end of a long campaign in an election that is going to see a new French president for the first time since 1995.
  • Sarkozy would 'meet resistance'
    If elected president, right wing Nicolas Sarkozy would face strong opposition, according to a Parisian commentator.
  • Analyst predicts a divided France
    As votes are cast in France, the person eventually elected will have a tough task uniting the nation.
    • Global Coverage: The week preceding the election
      Reuters provides in-depth analysis in the week preceding the presidential race in France.