First change: 04/10/2022 – 01:00
This April 10, the French are called upon to vote in the first round for their future President or President of the Republic, who will rule the country for the next five years. Some overseas territories have already started elections.
In this first round of elections, around 48.7 million French people are called upon to elect the next ruler of the French Republic in direct and universal suffrage.
In the event that none of the candidates receives the votes required for victory in the first ballot, i.e. more than 50% of the votes, a second date with the ballot box is scheduled for April 24th. For this Sunday it should be decided which two candidates will go into the second “round”.
Polling stations will open at 8am local time in mainland France and close at 6pm in small towns, while polling stations in major cities will remain open until 8pm.
The right to vote is open to all French citizens over the age of 18, provided they are not disqualified and registered on the electoral rolls.
01:11
Some overseas territories have already started voting
Some French overseas territories began voting from this Saturday.
The first was the small island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada. Citizens of this territory will cast their ballot on Saturday from 10:00 GMT.
The Caribbean areas followed a few hours later. Voters in the Pacific Islands began voting from 18:00 GMT. They were followed by the areas of the Indian Ocean.
At the same time, French residents living abroad can cast their votes at the consulates. The American consulates also began voting this Saturday, with the rest of the regions following this continent.
01:04
Election rest before the end of the election
During the cooling off period, which began before midnight last Thursday in France, French electoral law requires candidates and their campaign teams to refrain from making political statements, a mandatory mandate until polling stations close on Sunday.
In addition, French law prohibits the country’s media from publishing campaign messages, polls or estimates of voting intentions. This rule applies from Thursday, April 7, 11:59 p.m. to Sunday, April 10, 8:00 p.m. Paris time.
Results are expected to go live once polling stations close on Sunday.
Follow our special coverage of the elections on France 24 in Spanish:
France 24 Special coverage in Spanish on the 2022 French presidential elections. © France 24
With AFP, Reuters and EFE