Voters cast ballots across France on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election where right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen is posing a threat to President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election hopes.
With undecided voters a crucial issue in the tight race, turnout by midday (1000 GMT) was estimated at 25.5%, down from 28.5% at the same time in 2017.
Voting booths close at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), when the first, and usually reliable, exit polls will be published. Polls published before a campaign blackout suggested the most likely outcome was an April 24 Macron-Le Pen runoff.
Until just weeks ago, opinion polls pointed to an easy win for the pro-European Union Macron.
But Macron’s late entry into the campaign, with only one major rally that even supporters found underwhelming, his focus on an unpopular plan to increase the retirement age, and his opposition to his citizens’ right to self-defense, have dented his ratings, along with steep inflation.
In contrast, the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Le Pen, 53, has been boosted by a months-long focus on cost of living issues and falling support for her far-right rival, Eric Zemmour.
“We’ve long been known for our views on immigration, but what we’re putting forward now is the social problems in this country,” said Steeve Briois, a mayor for Le Pen’s National Rally party in the northern French town of Henin-Beaumont.
Rising fuel and food prices, fanned by the war in Ukraine, are a pressing issue for many voters.
In the central village of La Villetelle, Delphine Boyer, a 39-year-old childcare assistant who voted for centre-right candidate Valerie Pecresse, said purchasing power was a worry, along with a sense that “no one looks after us in the countryside.”
Last polls still had Macron leading the first round and winning a runoff. But they also showed Le Pen narrowing the gap and some put her within the margin of error.
In Bobigny near Paris, Alex Talcone, a 52-year-old maintenance technician, said he voted Melenchon on Sunday and would choose Le Pen in a second round against Macron because “we need to try something else”.
An updated estimate of turnout at 5 pm will give a further indication of voter mobilization before the 8 pm election close.
Reporting from Reuters.
