More than 44 million French voters are to go to the polls for the first round of a presidential election that represents a serious threat to incumbent Nicholas Sarkozy's tenure in the post.<br /><br />While predictions of a high abstention rate and a strong protest vote have left the outcome uncertain, opinion polls point towards Francois Hollande, Sarkozy's main Socialist challenger, replacing his conservative rival.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Paris, France.
