France:The Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, yesterday outdid her right-wing opponent, Nicolas Sarkozy, by holding a last Parisian rally that surpassed his, two days earlier, in turnout.
Discouraged by unfavourable opinion polls, Ms Royal's aides had feared rain, or that she might not fill the Charléty stadium, the historic venue for socialist rallies.
In the event, the 40,000-capacity stadium was packed to overflowing and thousands more were turned away. Well-known musicians, including singers Cali, Benabar, Yannick Noah (a former tennis player) and Georges Moustaki, helped attract a young, multiracial crowd, many of whom wore "Stop Sarko" stickers.
"I have taken a lot of blows during this campaign," Ms Royal said, "but I've received so, so, so much happiness. Tonight everything else is forgotten."
In the last stretch before the May 6th run-off, the campaign has become a dispute over the legacy of the May 1968 student and worker revolt.
Ms Royal yesterday accused Mr Sarkozy of wanting to incite similar unrest "so he can restore order". On Sunday, Mr Sarkozy said May 1968 "imposed intellectual and moral relativism . . . introduced cynicism into society and politics." He even alleged that the revolt broke down morality in capitalism, leading to the huge "golden parachutes" now given to the CEOs of big companies.
Ms Royal also took up the theme of the "parachute" payments, which have scandalised the French public during the campaign. She noted that 38 CEOs, "all friends of the government", received €107 million in departure indemnities in 2006. This was far more scandalous, she said, than petty abuses of the welfare and unemployment benefits system.
Mr Sarkozy claims that all of France's ills "are the fault of May 1968", the Socialist candidate said, reminding the cheering crowd that the burning cars, barricades and police charges took place more than 40 years ago.
Mr Sarkozy "turned on the time machine" at his Bercy rally, she said. "I don't want France to . . . end up with strikes, revolts and demands like those which blocked everything in May 1968 because the government refused to redistribute the wealth of the trente glorieuses (three decades of prosperity)," she said.
She alone could oversee "a non-violent France, that can go forward in civil peace". France had paid a high price "so that salaries were raised [ after May 1968] as was only fair, so that unions were recognised, universities modernised, civil liberties broadened, women given access to contraceptives and abortion".
Through 18 months of campaigning, Ms Royal said she felt "a same form of rumbling anger, of frustration and incomprehension, of millions of people who feel they count for nothing". It was high time to carry out rapid reforms "without brutalising, with intelligence and dialogue".
In 1968, French society "wanted dialogue and participation," she added. "The response was the use of force."
Ms Royal further attacked Mr Sarkozy's speech of April 29th, noting that he received an ovation when he again spoke of Karcher [a power hose which he threatened to use to "clean" the immigrant suburbs].
He had talked about "liquidating May 1968, part of our history" and said: "We are going to reformat the French." The values of France were "incompatible with the use of such language," Ms Royal said.
If she is elected next Sunday, the Socialist candidate promised to hold a referendum in September to usher in the Sixth Republic. Institutional reforms would include a more powerful parliament, the creation of "citizens juries" to keep politicians in line and a ban on duplication of public offices.
Ms Royal may benefit from another development yesterday.
In his annual May Day rally outside the Paris Opéra, the extreme-right wing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen told his followers to abstain from voting next Sunday. Since most could be expected to vote for Mr Sarkozy, Mr Le Pen's recommendation could help Ms Royal.
"I invite the voters who gave me their confidence to give their votes neither to Mme Royal nor to Monsieur Sarkozy," Mr Le Pen said, asking them to "abstain massively" and seek "legitimate revenge" for his elimination in the first round in legislative elections. "We must have no responsibility in the choice of May 6th," he said.
A two-hour debate between Ms Royal and Mr Sarkozy tonight could determine the outcome of the election. It can be seen live in Ireland on TV5Monde, from 8pm until 10pm.