PARIS (AP) – French pollsters are forecasting that centrist President Emmanuel Macron will win Sunday’s presidential runoff in France by beating far-right rival Marine Le Pen in a close race marred by the war in Ukraine and extremist ideas saw an increase in French support.
If forecasts are confirmed by official results, Macron would become the first French president in 20 years to win a second term, since Jacques Chirac in 2002. But he would join a divided nation and a struggle to maintain his parliamentary majority General elections face in June.
Five years ago, Macron won an overwhelming victory and at 39 became France’s youngest president. This time the gap is likely to be much narrower: polling firms Opinionway, Harris and Ifop forecast Macron would win between 57% and 58.5% of the vote, with Le Pen ranging between 41.5% and 43%.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PARIS (AP) – From idyllic villages to vibrant cities, French voters on Sunday chose between two radically different future perspectives for their country, with President Emmanuel Macron offering a centrist pro-European perspective if re-elected while far-right challenger Marine Le Pen promises seismic change for France and its allies if she becomes the country’s first female leader.
All of this is taking place amid the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has pushed up the prices of food, fuel and other essential commodities in France, a European Union country that has been experiencing fierce protests over economic inequalities in recent years Has.
The biggest unknown was how the voters who backed the 10 other presidential candidates who were eliminated in round one will vote this time — or if they will vote at all. The second round is a runoff between the two known rivals who also faced each other in 2017.
Just three hours before the last polling stations closed, turnout was 63% – two percentage points down from five years ago.
Many French voters found the 2022 rematch less compelling than 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor as he had never held elected office before. Left-wing voters, who could identify neither with the centrist president nor with Le Pen’s strongly nationalist platform, struggled with the election on Sunday. Some reluctantly rushed to the polls, only to stop Le Pen and cast cheerless votes for Macron.
“That was the least bad choice,” said Stephanie David, a transportation logistician who backed a communist candidate in the first round.
It was an impossible choice for pensioner Jean-Pierre Roux. After also voting communist in round one, he threw an empty envelope into the ballot box on Sunday, repelled by both Le Pen’s politics and Macron’s arrogance.
“I’m not against his ideas, but I can’t stand the person,” Roux said.
The 44-year-old Macron, who was France’s first President in 20 years to seek re-election, entered the election with a considerable margin but failed to guarantee victory to a fragmented, fearful and weary electorate. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on Macron’s first term, as did months of violent protests against his economic policies.
The upheaval has provided fertile ground for Le Pen, who is seeking for the third time to become France’s first female president. She campaigned intensely on cost-of-living issues, winning over blue-collar voters in disaffected rural communities and former industrial centers.
Even if 53-year-old Le Pen stops in front of the President’s Elysee Palace, a high-score Sunday would still be a win of sorts for the far right. Macron easily beat Le Pen in 2017 – 66% to 34% – but the result is likely to be closer this time.
So close that some voters felt compelled to step out on Sunday to block their ascension.
Marian Arbre, who voted in Paris, cast his vote for Macron “to avoid a government that finds itself with fascists and racists”.
“The risk is real,” said the 29-year-old annoyed.
As the only nuclear-armed power in the European Union, France saw the outcome across the 27-nation bloc grappling with its worst security crisis since World War II, with Russia’s war in Ukraine. France is playing a leading role in international efforts to impose sanctions on Russia and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine. Le Pen’s ties to Russia became an issue during the election campaign, raising questions about how she would deal with the Kremlin if elected.
Almost 49 million voters are eligible to vote. First results are expected on Sunday evening.
Le Pen voted in the northern city of Henin-Beaumont, in France’s embattled former industrial stronghold.
“I’m calm,” she said. “I have faith in the French.”
Macron voted in the English Channel resort of Le Touquet, casting his vote with a wink for the cameras.
Appealing to working-class voters grappling with rising prices, Le Pen has vowed that if elected, lowering the cost of living would be her priority. She argued that Macron’s presidency had left the country deeply divided, citing the Yellow Vests protest movement that rocked his government before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Macron sought to appeal to immigrant voters and religious minorities, particularly over Le Pen’s proposed policies targeting Muslims and putting French citizens first in jobs and benefits.
Macron also touted his environmental and climate record to scout for young voters who supported left-wing candidates in the first round but were often at best ambivalent, at worst disgusted, about the runoff. Macron said his next prime minister would be tasked with environmental planning as France aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Le Pen, once considered a climate skeptic, wants to scrap subsidies for renewable energy. It has promised to dismantle wind farms and invest in nuclear and hydroelectric power.
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Associated Press journalists Thomas Adamson and Elaine Ganley in Paris, Michel Spingler in Henin-Beaumont and Alex Turnbull in Le Touquet contributed.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022