PARIS -- The French press on Saturday urged voters to turn out in force to deliver an overwhelming victory for the incumbent conservative President Jacques Chirac over his far-right challenger Jean-marie Le Pen.

On the eve of the presidential vote, newspapers all carried banner headlines calling on the country's 41 million voters to fulfil their democratic duty in what the left-wing liberation described as a "referendum on our republican values."

"Tomorrow we must choose between a democrat and an extremist," said Le Parisien. "Let us not play games with democracy. Let us vote -- and vote for democracy, AFP reported.

France-Soir simply emblazoned the single word "vote!," while the right-wing Le Figaro under a headline "for France" published an editorial entitled "Chirac -- of course."

The communist daily ***l'Humanite*** and ***Liberation*** both urged left-wing sympathizers not to be tempted to abstain or spoil their ballots out of hostility towards both candidates.

"One single abstention, one single empty or spoiled ballot paper, and Le Pen's score is inflated," said ***Liberation***.

"Jacques Chirac -- his political life and achievements -- have not especially contributed to reducing the numerous fractures in our society. But this Republican is today opposed to Le Pen. It is by voting for him that we can really say no' to Le Pen," it said.

L'Humanite told voters to keep up the momentum of the street demonstrations against the 73-year-old National Front (FN) leader that were unleashed after his unexpected triumph over Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in the first round two weeks ago.

"On May 5 we must transform the victory we achieved with our feet into a victory with our hands. Abstaining or spoiling your ballot is quite simply a vote for Le Pen -- nothing less," it said.

The few polls to have been published since April 21 indicate that Chirac, 69, will win Sunday by a large majority, but there is concern that if Le Pen builds significantly on his first round score of 16.86 percent his Xenophobic and anti-European views will move to the center of political debate.

A strong showing would also help the fn in the parliamentary elections that take place in June, and which will have a crucial effect on the ability of the next president to carry out his program.

Supporters of Chirac fear a big fn vote in June will reduce the representation of the mainstream center-right, and allow a humiliated left to bounce back to keep control of the National Assembly -- rendering the president essentially powerless.

The official campaign ended Friday, with Chirac saying le pen viewed him as his "personal enemy" and the Far-Right leader claiming already to be the victim of wide-scale electoral fraud.

His first round victory stunned France and led to the biggest mass movement on the streets since May 1968, as the left mobilized to expunge the shame of its defeat.

S broad coalition supported by most political parties, the press, artists, sports personalities and religious leaders has come together to urge a Chirac victory, with the left hoping that the sheer size of his triumph will be an endorsement of its dominant role in the anti-Le Pen campaign.

On Monday Chirac is expected to accept the resignation of Jospin's Socialist-led government, before appointing a new team to lead the right into the June election.