Polls opened across France Sunday for the first round of the country’s presidential election, where up to 48 million eligible voters will be choosing one of 12 candidates.
President Emmanuel Macron is seeking a second five-year term, with a strong challenge from the far right and seeking to counter nationwide voter apathy.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. Sunday and close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) in most places and at 8 p.m. in some larger cities.
A girl walks past presidential campaign posters at a school working as a polling station for French citizens who living in Chile to vote one day ahead of France's general elections in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 9, 2022. (AP PhotoEsteban Felix)
Unless someone gets more than half of the nationwide vote, there will be a second and decisive round on Sunday, April 24.
Aside from Macron, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon are among the prominent figures vying to take the presidential Elysee.
A volunteer election observer for far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon's La France Insoumise party participates in a workshop the day before elections in Marseille, southern France, Saturday, April 9, 2022. President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he has no fear of losing France's presidential election, despite far-right rival Marine Le Pen narrowing the gap in opinion polls days before the first-round vote. (AP PhotoDaniel Cole)