French voters have less time to wait for a new leader than the British and expectations are, it must be said, rather higher. The presidential election has captured the imagination of French voters; 85% cast their ballots in the first round and more than 20m watched last week’s television debate between the two candidates; Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal. Ms Royal deserves praise; as the first woman to make it to the second round of a French presidential election contest she has shown herself to be a formidable politician. She is also partly responsible for much of the heightened interest in the contest. France is used to voting for old men. Both Ms Royal and her opponent are in their early fifties - relative youngsters in political terms.

Unless the polls have got it badly wrong, however, it is Mr Sarkozy who will emerge triumphant today and soon find himself in the Elysée Palace. That, were we to have a vote, would be our preference. Of the two candidates he offers the best hope of lifting France out of its condition of recent years which has been part way between stagnation and genteel decline. He offers a genuine chance of providing a new dynamism at the heart of Europe. When Mr Sarkozy, early in his campaign, spoke of a rupture or a break with France’s past, he was forced to temper his language for fear of scaring voters. But a break with the past is exactly what France needs.

Will the fiery Mr Sarkozy provide it? In his final campaign rally he spoke of freeing a “wellspring of new energy”, taking away “the fear, the political correctness” that have held back his country. Today we report that one of his first battles, if elected, will be with the unions. Militant unionists handed out “Anyone but Sarkozy” badges at last week’s May Day rally with good reason. He wants to stop the unions bringing France to a halt by imposing a legally enforceable minimum level of public service in transport and elsewhere. He also wants secret ballots before strike action and to loosen the grip that the unions - whose members constitute a small minority of the population - have on the the French state and the private sector through workers’ councils.

Recent French history is littered with examples of presidents who have taken office apparently determined to “do a Thatcher” on union restrictive practices and the country’s overlarge and bureaucratic state, only to fall at the first hurdle. The Thatcher vintage does not travel well in Europe. Angela Merkel was sold in some quarters as Germany’s “iron lady”. She has not been that but even her milder approach has brought a welcome wind of change to German politics. Mr Sarkozy’s task is probably harder and, like Mar-garet Thatcher, he will begin with much of the country vigorously opposed to everything he stands for. The risk is that he will resort to crude French nationalism to court popularity; taking a hard line on immigration and on the foreign takeover of French firms. The hope is that he will be both outward-looking and boldly reformist. He has to be France’s best hope today.