French Head to Polls in London, France's 'Sixth City'

Queues of French expatriates voting in the first round of presidential elections formed outside polling stations in London on Sunday.

With around 300,000 French residents, London is often described as France's sixth biggest city, and the vast majority of Britain's 72,000 registered French voters are casting their ballots in the capital.

The electoral register is the third largest outside France after Switzerland and the United States, and has grown by 34.5 percent since the last French presidential election in 2007.

A queue several hundred meters (yards) long snaked outside the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle school in southwest London by 9:30 am (0830 GMT), with voters queuing nearly two hours in the chilly sunshine.

"Even though we live abroad, we're still interested in what's happening in France," Philippe Gillet, a marketing manager, told Agence France Presse as he joined the line.

Teacher Sylvie Benfatah said she had arrived "as early as possible to vote for change."

Britain is watching the French election closely, as calls by Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande for greater regulation of financial markets have ruffled feathers in the City of London financial district.

Opinion polls suggest Hollande will oust President Nicolas Sarkozy, who won 53 percent of Britain-based expatriates' vote in the second round of the 2007 election.