Polls will open at 8 am local time. As a rule, the presidential race is not limited to the first round, so a second round is expected on April 24.
Among the 12 candidates vying for the presidency are incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Between them, it is likely to be a major showdown – they could both make it to the second round.
Macron has now lost his status as unchallenged leader, experts say. At the end of March, the victory of the incumbent leader was beyond doubt. According to various surveys, he was supported by 30% of voters, while Le Pen only 17%.
However, by April 8, these figures changed: the support of Macron decreased, and Le Pen – increased. Between 26 and 28 per cent of voters said they would vote for him, while 22 to 25 per cent would vote for his rival.
Although Macron is still leading in the polls, his victory is no longer being talked about as an inevitability. In the second round, various polls estimate Macron’s support at 51-53%, with Le Pen’s at 47-49% respectively.
However, the results of the election may be affected by the turnout: political analysts do not rule out that it will be very low. And then whoever is able to mobilise his electorate as much as possible will win.
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