French voters head to the polls for the first round of presidential elections on Sunday after a muted campaign overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. FRANCE 24 takes a look at how France’s two-round presidential election plays out.
Some 48.7 million people are eligible to vote in Sunday’s presidential contest, choosing from a field of 12 candidates who are vying to lead the European Union’s second-largest economy and its only nuclear power.
President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to become the first incumbent to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. His challengers range from a Communist on the left to anti-immigration candidates on the far right.
The two candidates who garner the most votes will qualify for the election’s second and final round on April 24.
Who are the candidates?Twelve candidates have made it onto the official ballot – including seven who also ran at the last election in 2017. They span the political spectrum, with half representing extremes to the left and right of France’s mainstream. A third are women vying to become the nation’s first présidente.
