Today, Sunday, the French started presidential elections in which the competition between 12 candidates is fierce, while polls indicate that the competition is limited to 4 candidates representing the center, the right, the far right and the far left.
About 48.7 million citizens were invited to the polling stations to choose one of the candidates in the first round, at the end of a campaign that was overshadowed by the “Covid-19” epidemic first, and then the war in Ukraine, which dominated part of the discussions.
Voters in the Overseas Territories and Territories began to vote in elections, particularly in the Americas and the South Pacific regions.
Several political forces warned of the possibility of these elections recording a greater percentage of abstention from voting compared to the previous elections.
Just weeks ago, opinion polls pointed to an easy victory for the pro-EU Macron, whose position has been bolstered by his active diplomacy on Ukraine and a robust economic recovery, as well as a weak and fragmented opposition.
But the popularity of Macron - who belongs to the centrist movement - declined for several reasons, including his late entry into the electoral campaign, as he held only one large electoral rally, which even his supporters considered disappointing, as well as his focus on a plan to raise the retirement age that faces popular opposition, as well as the rise sharp inflation.
Macron's rivals
On the other hand, Le Pen, a far-right Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant, has made a domestic tour and for months focused on the cost of living, as she tried to take advantage of the sharp decline in support for her far-right rival Eric Zemmour.
However, polls still suggest Macron will lead the first round and win the run-off against Le Pen on April 24, but several polls now say that is within the margin of error.
Numerous studies tend to suggest that Le Pen and the candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon have been witnessing a progress track for days, which greatly reduces the difference with Macron.
Behind these three, other presidential hopefuls seem far from achieving it, notably traditional right-wing candidate Valerie Pecres and far-right Eric Zemmour.
It is noteworthy that the 2002 elections recorded one of the largest boycott rates with more than 28% of the voters, before the reluctance declined in 2007 in the confrontation between Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal.
The boycott rate rose in 2012 in the decisive elections between Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, and rose again in the last elections, and it is believed that the abstention from voting includes about a third of the electorate.