Reminiscent of Second World War radio communications, the public set Twitter alight with jokes, code and cryptic messages after the first round of presidential election results. "Netherlands-Hungary qualify for return leg," said one tweet in a play on the name of Socialist challenger Francois Hollande and the origin of President Nicolas Sarkozy's father. Seeking to enforce a 1977 law that imposed a blackout on disclosing results, authorities threatened fines of up to 75,000 euros for breaches. In return, they got derision and defiance.