Another View: On the French election:

The Associated Press offers a look at editorials from around the world and across the country.

French voters have chosen a tough go-getter for their new president.

Former Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, a conservative, defeated former Environment Minister Segolene Royal of the Socialist Party. ...

At 52, Sarkozy is a much younger “face” of France than his veteran predecessor Jacques Chirac, 74.

A high jobless rate among the younger generation and deteriorating security are among woes that have beset France in recent years.

Sarkozy called for tougher security measures and greater competition under a market economy. His message —“Work harder in order to earn more”—won the hearts of voters.

French voters clearly concluded that reforming the nation’s rigid employment system and other aspects of traditional French society offered the only chance to create a truly competitive economy that would raise living standards.

Breaking with the past was a Sarkozy campaign slogan.

Sarkozy’s diplomatic skills are still unknown. What sort of relationship does he intend to forge with the administration of President George W. Bush, which is struggling with the Iraq debacle?

What change of course will there be for Chirac’s pro-Arab policy?

We will watch the new French president closely.
—Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, On the Net: http://www.asahi.com/english/