People go to the polls for the first round of the Presidential elections in France. The two names who received the most votes in the first round, where 12 names competed, will face the voters in the second round on April 24.
In France, 49 million voters will decide which of the 12 candidates will qualify for the second round.
According to the polls, President Emmanuel Macron is narrowly ahead of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
However, it is stated that the turnout in the voting process, which started in the morning, was around 20 percent.
The election campaign was marred by both the epidemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Increasing energy bills and rising shopping costs seem to be the most important agenda of the voters.
Macron’s late participation in the campaign, his plan to raise the retirement age, along with the increase in inflation, has reduced the support rate.
On the other hand, Le Pen, with its anti-immigrant and distant approach to Europe, has increased its support in the surveys in recent weeks by focusing on the cost of living.
Despite this, polls mostly show that Macron will finish first in the first round and will also win the second round against Le Pen on April 24.
However, according to the same polls, the difference will be very small, and some even take into account the margin of error, showing that Le Pen could emerge victorious from the second round.
It seems that the undecided will determine the outcome.
An Ipsos poll conducted before the election revealed that 37 percent of voters were undecided.