French election: Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande cast their votes

"This is why many are watching us, many are looking at us, many wonder not what will be the name of the winner but which policy will come out of it. This is why I am not simply in a race between candidates. I am in a race where I have to give my country a fresh impetus and to give Europe it a new commitment, a new direction," he said.