French President Emmanuel Macron and right-wing leader Marine Le Pen are gearing up for another fight in the country’s presidential election. It is being speculated that both the leaders have left behind 10 other candidates in the first round of voting and now a close contest is between these two leaders.
Voters in France vote in person and those ballots are counted after voting is over.
If no one gets more than half of the voter turnout at the national level, a second and final round of voting will be held on April 24 between the top two candidates. The French polling office has predicted a lead over President Emmanuel Macron’s right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen after the first phase of the presidential election on Sunday.
According to the estimates given by the agency, in the first phase of voting, where Macron is seen getting the support of 27 to 29 percent of the voters, then 23 to 24 percent of the votes can go to Le Pen. However, both may face a tough challenge in the second phase of polling. If this is confirmed by official vote counting on Sunday, early estimates suggest France is set to repeat the one-off contest between the two leaders in 2017, which made centrist Macron, 44, the country’s youngest president. However, this time there is no guarantee that the results will be the same as last time.
If that happens, Macron will become the first French president to win a second term in 20 years, but National Rally leader Le Pen is concerned about the most pressing issues, such as rising food, gas costs due to rising inflation and the consequences of Western sanctions on Russia. Through this she has managed to get many French voters in her favor. France’s election result will have wide-ranging international ramifications as Europe struggles to contain the crisis sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Macron has strongly supported the European Union (EU) sanctions on Russia, while Le Pen, 53, expressed concern about their impact on the living standards of the French people.
Macron has also been a strong supporter of NATO and maintains close ties with the 27 members of the European Union.
President Macron is contesting for a second five-year term and is facing a tough challenge from the right-wing party. Besides Macron, right-wing candidate Le Pen and left-wing leader Jean-Louis Melencone are among the leading candidates in the race for the presidency.