Preparing the polling station for the upcoming French presidential election. File photoPARIS, Apr 10The first round of French presidential elections will take place on Sunday, 12 candidates will compete for the highest state post.According to the latest public opinion polls, the incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and the leader of the far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, have the best chances of reaching the second round. however, such a factor as turnout can significantly affect the results of voting. It, according to the forecasts of political scientists, may be record low. The French will have to elect a head of state for a five-year term. In the event that none of the candidates receives an absolute majority (50% plus one vote) in the first round, a second one will be held. In the history of the Fifth Republic, not a single presidential election took place in one round. There are 48.7 million French people on the voter lists. On Sunday, around 70,000 polling stations will operate across France. They will open at 8.00 (9.00 GMT). In most French communes, it will be possible to vote until 19.00 (20.00 Moscow time). And in big cities, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse and others, polling stations will work until 20.00 (21.00 Moscow time). Voting has already begun on Saturday in the overseas departments of France, which are located in other time zones .
France is not ready yet. Why Macron will stay for another five years The French government did not introduce a strict sanitary protocol at polling stations. Wearing masks will not be mandatory. But the authorities strongly advise the elderly, immunocompromised citizens and those who have been in contact with those infected with coronavirus, or have symptoms of covid, to come to the sites in masks. French people with COVID-19 can also come to the sites in masks. After the closure of the sites on Sunday, exit poll data will be published. Then the preliminary results of the first round will be published on the website of the French Ministry of the Interior. During the day, the ministry usually releases voter turnout data. On Wednesday, April 13, the French Constitutional Council must give final approval to the results of the first round of elections and two candidates who will advance to the second round, scheduled for April 24.
Polls showed a minimal gap between Macron and Le Pen before the elections. 12 candidates In the first round, 12 politicians are running for the highest state post. Among them are the incumbent President of France Emmanuel Macron, the leader of the far-right National Rally party Marine Le Pen, the head of the left-wing France Insubordinate party Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-right candidate Eric Zemmour, who founded the Reconquest party, the candidate of the center-right party «Republicans» Valerie Pekress. Also participating in the first round are the national secretary of the Communist Party Fabien Roussel, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, running for the «Socialists», a member of the «Europe — Ecology — Greens» Yannick Jadot, leader of the right-wing party «Arise, France» Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Trotskyist, Workers' Struggle candidate Nathalie Artaud, MP Jean Lassalle and far-left politician Philippe Putou.Politico: Macron «intimidates» the French for the sake of winning the electionsThe balance of power and turnoutThe latest opinion polls before the first round give Macron a victory with a narrow margin over Le Pen. According to an Elabe poll of April 8, Macron can score 26% in the first round, and Le Pen — 25%. The gap between Macron and Le Pen is 3.5%, according to the Ipsos social poll, published on Friday. Opinion polls tipped him 16.5% -17.5% of the vote in the first round of elections. Zemmour and Pekress also make it into the top five candidates. Thus, Macron and Le Pen have the best chances of reaching the second round. They also fought for the presidency in 2017. Then Macron won with 66% of the vote. Now, the data of the latest opinion polls show a very small lead between Macron and Len in the second round. that the outcome of the first round is not at all predetermined and may be unexpected, given that, according to polls, 29% of the French said in the days before the election that they would go to vote, but have not yet decided for whom. In addition, turnout may affect the results. Political analysts fear that it may be a record low in the first round. According to an Ipsos-Sopra Steria poll conducted on April 4-6, 26 to 30% of voters may not come to the polls on Sunday. Prior to this, the lowest turnout in the first round of the presidential elections in France was recorded in 2002, when 28.4% of the French refused to participate in the vote. In the first round of 2017, 22.2% of voters did not vote.
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