French President Nicolas Sarkozy is waging an increasingly desperate battle to retain power as France goes to the polls again for the May 6 presidential run-off. In the first round of voting April 22, the incumbent came a close second to Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande. Meanwhile, far-right leader Marine Le Pen scored the biggest surprise by claiming 17.9% of the vote. Sarkozy has since amped up his right-wing rhetoric on immigration issues, in an apparent big to attract some of Le Pen’s nearly 6.5 million votes. But as TIME’s Bruce Crumley recently noted, Sarkozy may be playing a “dangerous game” that could backfire, especially because the president is already criticized for being divisive. The latest opinion polls suggest as much: Hollande leading by up to 10 points. On May 1, Le Pen urged her supporters to vote as they please — an obvious snub of Sarkozy.
Ballot Box Watch: Your Guide to May Elections
Global Spin previews the pick of this month's exercises in democracy