News Desk: Voting for the first round of the French presidential election has begun. Incumbent Emanuel Macron, who is in the running for a second term, is facing tough competition.
With a total of 12 candidates running in the election, Macron’s main battle will be with the far-right candidate Marin Le Pen. Marin Le Pen has solidified his position through a strong campaign.
According to the latest opinion polls, Marin Le Pen’s gap with the center-right President Macron is very small. The election is expected to be held in two phases in 14 days.
If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round of voting, the two candidates who get the most votes will take part in the run-off of the second round of voting.
If no one wins in the first round, the second round of voting will take place on April 24 to elect one of the two leading candidates for the presidency.
President Macron’s popularity also skyrocketed as the war in Ukraine began to dominate the start of the election campaign and record economic growth.
Even then, Macron’s support has waned due to some unpopular plans. Macron’s popularity has plummeted due to the rising retirement age and rising inflation.
On the other hand, Marin Le Pen focused on various internal issues and promised to reduce the number of immigrants from outside Europe. Le Pen has proposed holding a referendum to reduce the number of immigrants.
Opinion polls over the past six months have shown Macron to be ahead, but his distance from other candidates has narrowed. Marin Le Pen is well ahead of the rest of the candidates.
However, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in France’s major cities on Sunday, the day before the polls opened, 36 percent of voters had not yet decided who to vote for.
Of the 12 main candidates in the election, three are right-wing and two are left-wing French politicians.
Marin Le Pen and Eric Jimo are both far-right. Among them, Jimmy is seen as the most radical. Many voters have not been able to decide which of the two to choose between.
A voter told the BBC after going to the polls on Sunday that candidates were taking too long to focus on international issues. But now is not the time. They are not talking about our big problems and daily life.
In this situation, many voters now think it is right to vote for the far-right candidates. Many are voting for the right, saying “we want to vote for France, not for party politics.”
