PARIS (Dispatches) — France voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election projected to produce a runoff rematch between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen that will be far tighter than their duel five years ago.
Polls opened in mainland France at 0600 GMT after an unusual campaign overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that analysts warned could lead to unpredictable outcomes with turnout a major factor.
Polls predict that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second round vote on April 24.
Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is snapping at their heels in third place and still fancies his chances of reaching the second round at the expense of Le Pen or even — in what would be an extraordinary upset — President Macron himself.
Sunday’s vote will determine who runs the European Union’s second-largest economy as the war in Ukraine rages on the bloc’s doorstep. France is the only country in European Union with a UN Security Council veto and its sole nuclear power.
The cost of living is among the top issues for the French electorate this year. Faced with the economic fallout of the pandemic, high energy prices and the war in Ukraine, French voters aren’t facing the election many expected.
Analysts say that a majority of French people feel the 2022 presidential election campaign has been of poor quality. Voters have complained of a lack of new political ideas or vision, and few solutions to their problems.
The current presidential election has been described as a lopsided contest in which Macron is widely expected to prevail over a motley crew of challengers rejected by a majority of voters, even though his forecast lead over Le Pen evaporated before the polls.
Voter turnout has long been dropping in France and is expected to hit a record low this time around, with the Ukraine war hijacking most of the media’s attention.