Ms. Le Pen is an unexpected threat to President Macron’s government – and while she continues to lead the polls, several polls say it is now on the verge of error. The first round of voting, with people choosing one of the 12 candidates, began at 8 a.m. local time (7 am UK time) and ends at 20:00 local time (7 pm UK time), when the first exit polls will be published. Some French nationals living abroad in the United States and Canada have already voted. When is the French presidential election, who is the candidate and how do they work? Image: French citizens stand in line as they arrive to vote at the French Embassy in Washington The result is wide open Until just two weeks ago, it looked like it would be an easy victory for France’s pro-European centrist leader. But his late entry into the campaign – with only one big, and overwhelming, rally – and his focus on an unpopular plan to raise his retirement age has lowered his score. While Mr Macron’s focus was on the war in Ukraine, anti-immigrant Eurosceptic Ms Lepen was strengthened by her persistent focus on the cost of living crisis. Helping rise sharply in inflation has also been helped by falling support for its main far-right rival, Eric Zemour. “We are ready and the French are with us,” Le Pen told her cheering supporters on Thursday, urging them to vote for “the just punishment that those who have ruled us so badly deserve.” Mr Macron, who has held the post since 2017, said of Mr Le Pen: “Its basic elements have not changed: it is a racist program that aims to divide society and is very brutal.” Ms Lepen rejects allegations of racism. Read more: European markets upset as France’s right hand picks up steam Image: Ms Lepen rejects allegations of racism Macron, the youngest president in French history, has also been criticized in recent weeks for maintaining an open dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki compared the French president’s telephone conversations with Mr Putin to talks with Hitler. In response, Mr Macron called the Eastern European leader “an extreme right-wing anti-Semite who bans LGBT people.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:58 February: Putin and Macron meet What happens next? This is just the first round of voting, and assuming no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote – something that has not happened since Charles de Gaulle was re-elected in 1965 – the first two candidates advance to the next round. It is this second run-off, currently scheduled for April 24, that will decide who will become president. The two contenders are widely expected to be Mr Macron and Ms Lepen. However, the president is facing a potential problem in the second ballot, as many left-wing voters have told pollsters that, unlike in 2017, they will not vote for him outright to keep Ms Lepen out of power. “Marine Le Pen has never been so close to winning the presidential election,” said Harris Interactive pollster Jean-Daniel Levy, referring to Le Pen’s third nomination at the Palais des Champs-Elysées. Supporters of hard-line candidate Jean-Luc Melanson, who is third in the polls, called on left-wing voters to turn to their candidate and send him to the second round.
