Race to Be France's New Leader Is Close

As the French presidential election approaches the first round of voting on Sunday, the Conservative and Socialist candidates are dominating the race, with only a few points between them, according to most opinion polls.

While most of the other 12 candidates languish far behind, they can't complain about being ignored by the media.

In France, all the candidates are entitled to equal air time on TV and radio. News programs struggle to ensure that each candidate gets exactly the same coverage, measured down to the second.