France on Saturday prepared for the first round of Presidential Elections projected to produce a run-off rematch between President Emmanuel Macron and far-right Leader, Marine Le Pen, that will be far tighter than their contest five years ago.
All further political activity by candidates was banned on the final day ahead of polls expected to be opened in mainland France at 06:00 GMT on Sunday, April 10, 2022.
French overseas territories will begin voting earlier to take account of the time difference, starting with Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada at 10:00 GMT Saturday, April 9, 2022. Territories in the Caribbean, the Pacific and finally the Indian Ocean will follow before polling stations open in mainland France.
Polls conducted earlier predicted that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second-round on April 24, 2022. But Analysts warned that the outcome remains highly volatile, with uncertainty remaining over the turnout and some observers who fear a quarter of the electorate may stay away in a possible record boycott of the vote.
Far-left candidate, Jean-Luc Melenchon, is snapping at third place and still fancies his chances of reaching the second round at the expense of Le Pen or Macron. Although Melenchon’s opponents accused her of being an extremist bent on dividing society, Le Pen has with some success during the campaign sought to show a more moderate image and concern with voters’ daily worries such as rising prices. Macron, in contrast, has campaigned relatively little, by his own admission entering the election campaign later than he would have wished due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
A Tight Contest
Macron and Le Pen as forecasted to reach the second round, Analysts have predicted that their clash will be far tighter than in 2017 when the current President (Emmanuel Macron) thrashed his rival with 66 percent of the vote.
“There is an uncertainty ahead of the first round,” French Political Scientist, Pascal Perrineau, pointing to unprecedently high numbers of voters who are still undecided or who changed their minds during the campaign as well as absentee voters. Analysts fear that the 2002 record of the numbers of French voters boycotting a first round of 28.4 percent risks being beaten, with the 2017 absentee rate of 22.2 percent almost sure to be exceeded.
Frederic Dabi, Director of the Ifop Polling Institute, disclosed that “We have experienced a strange campaign that was at odds with what we experienced in the past presidential elections”.
What the Election Outcomes Could Mean
The stakes of the election are high for Macron, who came to power aged 39 as France’s youngest President with a pledge to shake up the country. He would be the first French President since Jacques Chirac in 2002 to win a second term and thus cement a place in the country’s history. If Macron wins, he would have a five-year mandate to implement his vision of reform which would include a crack at reducing the pension age in defiance of union anger. He would also seek to consolidate his position as the undisputed number one in Europe after the departure of German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. A victory for Le Pen would, however, be seen as a victory for right-wing populism and send shockwaves across Europe and markets.
