Polls open in France's presidential elections amid voter apathy

Voters in France have begun casting their ballots for the first round of presidential election, a runoff rematch between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Polling stations, which opened at 06:00 GMT, will remain open for 12 hours after France's overseas territories already voted Saturday.

No French president has ever won by an outright majority since 1958 except Jacques Chirac in 2002 who was the only to be reelected. If no candidate wins 50% of votes in the first round, the two contenders with the most votes will proceed to a runoff two weeks later, on April 24.

Sunday’s vote will determine who runs the European Union’s second-largest economy as the war in Ukraine rages on the bloc’s doorstep. France is the only country in European Union with a UN Security Council veto and its sole nuclear power.

The cost of living is among the top issues for the French electorate this year. Faced with the economic fallout of the pandemic, high energy prices and the war in Ukraine, French voters aren’t facing the election many expected.

Analysts say that a majority of French people feel the 2022 presidential election campaign has been of poor quality. Voters have complained of a lack of new political ideas or vision, and few solutions to their problems.

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.

Macron entered the campaign late, focusing on diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and an unpopular plan to increase the retirement age.

Le Pen, 53, has focused on the cost-of-living crisis. She is also campaigning to ban the Muslim headscarf from all public places, as part of her anti-immigration program.

ME