Presidential: overseas and North American voters begin to vote

Florin Hossu and AFP 8:01 p.m., April 9, 2022

This is one of the specificities of the French presidential election.

Due to the time difference in the overseas territories, many French people have already started to vote.

This is particularly the case in Martinique where voters have been voting since 8 am this morning, local time and still have six hours to vote.

Since 2007, the ballot has been brought forward by 24 hours compared to mainland France in order to encourage citizens to go to the polls.  

A vote placed on the same day as the lifting of health restrictions

It was under a rainy sky that this first round of the presidential election began.

Here, 380,000 Martiniquans are called to the polls.

Polling stations will close at 7 p.m. local time.

And if the counting will then be done behind closed doors in the prefecture, the results will not be known until tomorrow, at 2 p.m.

It will then be 8 p.m. in Paris.

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This first round of the presidential election coincides with a very important date for the population.

The lifting of the health pass and the mandatory mask.

Obviously, caution remains in order, since a majority of Martinican voters still wore it when slipping their ballot into the ballot box.

The 4,500 French people in Shanghai will not be able to vote

On the rest of the planet, other French citizens were able to start voting this Saturday as well.

This is particularly the case in North America, Canada and the United States.

But if the French in North America can already vote, this will not be the case for the 4,500 who live in Shanghai.

Due to the confinement imposed by the authorities, the inhabitants will have no possibility of going to the polling stations, since they will be closed.