President re-elected overwhelmingly

PARIS – President Jacques Chirac was re-elected Sunday in a landslide victory over extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, after a dramatic presidential race that shook France to its foundations.

In exit polls, all three of France's major polling firms gave Chirac between 81 and 83 percent of the vote, with Le Pen getting 17 to just over 18 percent.

Chirac's huge victory was helped by a larger turnout than for the April 21 first round, when 28 percent of voters stayed home. Turnout on Sunday was estimated at about 80 percent, with 20 percent abstaining.

''We have gone through a time of serious anxiety for the country,'' Chirac said in his victory speech. ''But tonight, France has reaffirmed its attachment to values of the Republic.''

He promised to immediately address the issue of crime - a top voter concern.

Le Pen, from his headquarters near Paris, called the result ''a stinging defeat for hope in France.''

Chirac's supporters were thrilled at the huge margin, but the result was still likely to resonate bitterly for many in France. The country's considerable leftist electorate voted for Chirac for no reason other than to block Le Pen - whose first-round showing shocked the country and set off a popular movement to preserve France's democracy and dignity.

Chirac, whose murkily defined campaign was transformed into a crusade against the far right, now faces the challenges of a weak mandate, the need to answer obvious domestic discontent, and the task of repairing France's damaged international reputation.

Some voters did not go happily to the polls. A few leftists said they were so displeased with the choice offered that they planned to cast ballots for the conservative Chirac, who is plagued by corruption scandals, wearing latex gloves or with clothespins on their noses. French officials warned that such a public display could lead to fines or the annulment of a vote.

For many, the election, divisive as it was, was a unifying moment as well. Street protests against Le Pen, a fixture on the fringes of French politics who's widely viewed as racist and anti-Semitic, drew people from across the political spectrum, of all ages and strata of society, some in wheelchairs and some pushing strollers.

Le Pen, 73, silver-haired and theatrical, who famously once called Nazi gas chambers ''a detail'' of World War II history, scored slightly better than the nearly 17 percent he got in the first round, but much worse than the 30 percent he'd hoped for.