Uncertainty overshadows first round of French presidential election
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Polls predict that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second-round vote on April 24.
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Polls predict that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one
France on Sunday votes in the first round of presidential elections projected to produce a run-off rematch between current President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen that will be far tighter than their duel five years ago.
Polls opened in mainland France at 0600 GMT after an unusual campaign overshadowed by the war in Ukraine that analysts warn could lead to unpredictable outcomes with turnout a major factor.
French overseas territories already voted Saturday to take account of the time difference.
Polls predict Macron will lead Le Pen
Polls predict that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second-round vote on April 24.
Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is strongly competing and still fancies his chances of reaching the second round at the expense of Le Pen or even -- in what would be an extraordinary upset -- Macron himself.
With her opponents accusing her of being an extremist bent on dividing society, Le Pen has tried to put on a "more moderate image" and show concern with voters' daily worries such as rising prices.
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French presidential candidates
Macron by contrast has campaigned relatively little, by his own admission entering the election campaign later than he would have wished due to the war in Ukraine.
French television channels will broadcast projections of the final results, which are generally highly accurate, as soon as polls close at 1800 GMT Sunday.
Uncertainty ahead of first round
If Macron and Le Pen, as forecasted, reach the second round, analysts predict that their clash will be far tighter than in 2017 when the current president thrashed his rival with 66% of the vote.
"There is an uncertainty ahead of the first round," said French political scientist Pascal Perrineau, pointing to unprecedently high numbers of voters who were still undecided or who changed their minds during the campaign, as well as absentee voters.
Some 48.7 million voters are registered across France to vote in this election.
The stakes of the election are high for Macron, who came to power aged 39 as France's youngest president with a pledge to shake up the country.
He would be the first French president since Jacques Chirac in 2002 to win a second term and thus cement a place in the country's history.
A Le Pen victory would however be seen as a victory for right-wing populism and send shockwaves across Europe and markets.
Zemmour making Le Pen look moderate
Greens candidate Yannick Jadot, the Republicans' Valerie Pecresse, and the flagging Socialist nominee Anne Hidalgo appear certain to be ejected in the first round.
Far-right former TV pundit Eric Zemmour made a stunning entry into the campaign last year but lost ground, and analysts say he has aided Le Pen by making her appear "more moderate".
Even with the outcome of the first round still the subject of some uncertainty, attention is already turning to the second round and who the defeated first-round hopefuls will back.
