PARIS, April 10 ,2022: Voters cast ballots across France on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election where far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is posing an unexpected 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, centrist Macron, who was boosted by his active diplomacy over Ukraine, a strong economic recovery and the weakness of a fragmented opposition.
“I think he’s the only one today who has the courage … to build the France of tomorrow,” Armelle Savidan, a 47-year-old human resources manager, said after casting her ballot for Macron in Paris.
But Macron’s late entry into the campaign, with only one major rally that even supporters found underwhelming, and his focus on an unpopular plan to increase the retirement age, 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.
