French President Sarkozy says France has too many immigrants

So far, all polls point to a victory in Sunday's presidential runoff election by Sarkozy's challenger, Socialist François Hollande.

The conservative Sarkozy is hoping to win over the more than 6 million voters who supported far right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential elections April 22.

But Le Pen is refusing to endorse either candidate in France's presidential runoff and says she will cast a blank protest ballot. Le Pen, who came in a strong third place in the first round of voting April 22, told her supporters to “vote according to your conscience.”

In a big rally in Paris on Tuesday, she assailed conservative Sarkozy, who has borrowed some of Le Pen's rhetoric about immigrants and Muslims in his campaign. Le Pen said “I will cast a blank ballot” and said she could not endorse Sarkozy or Socialist challenger Hollande.

Across town, Sarkozy was holding a campaign rally of his own Tuesday where he tried to reach out to the far right.

In a radio interview on Tuesday morning, he was asked whether France has too many immigrants, and answered, “yes.”

“Our system of integration doesn't work. Why? Because before we were able to integrate those who were received on our territory, others arrived. Having taken in too many people, we paralyzed our system of integration,” he said on RMC radio.

“I will never argue for zero immigration, but the reality is that when you invite more people than you can handle, you no longer integrate them,” he said.