Socialist Francois Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy are heading for a run-off in the race for France's presidency, according to partial official results after a first round of voting, Belfast Telegraph reported.

Voters also handed a surprisingly strong third-place showing to anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim candidate Marine Le Pen, the partial results indicated.

The contest, to be resolved in the run-off on May 6, could alter the European political landscape as the continent deals with a financial crisis.

Mr Hollande was in the overall lead, amid widespread disappointment with Mr Sarkozy's first term and a sense that the incumbent favours the rich when the country is struggling with unemployment and bleak economic prospects.

With about 33% of the vote counted, Mr Hollande had 27.5% of ballots cast and Mr Sarkozy 26.6%, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry after final polls closed.

Ms Le Pen, who has campaigned on anti-Islam rhetoric, was in third with 19.9 % of the vote so far. Ms Le Pen, predicting a first-round surprise, said in an interview last week that she would consider it a victory if she matched the first-round score of her father, National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2002. That year, he got nearly 16.8% of the vote and was propelled into the final round and a face-off with then-President Jacques Chirac.

In fourth place was leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, followed by centrist Francois Bayrou and five other candidates with minimal support.

Turnout was also surprisingly high. The Interior Ministry said early turnout figures showed 70.6% of France's 44-million-plus voters cast ballots before 5pm (3pm GMT) - less than the 73.8% in 2007 at the same time, but more than in the four previous races.