Paris - (AFP) - The French began casting their votes on Sunday to elect their next president and test, as in 2017, between outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and his nationalist rival, Marine Le Pen, in a ballot whose results will be decisive for the country's future.
The participation rate in the second round of the French presidential elections reached 26.41 percent as of mid-Sunday, almost two points lower than the same time in the second round of the presidential race in 2017 (28.23 percent), according to what the Ministry of the Interior announced.
Also, this figure represents a decrease compared to the second round of the presidential elections of 2012 (30.66%) and 2007 (34.11%) and is close to the percentage recorded in 2002 (26.19%) when she faced the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. and Jacques Chirac (right). On the other hand, the participation rate increased slightly compared to the first session two weeks ago (25.48%).
The polling stations, to which the 48.7 million French voters were invited, opened at 6:00 GMT, and closed at 17:00 and 18:00 GMT in the main cities.
The French have a historic choice. They will have to renew the outgoing president, which has never happened, except for a period of coexistence with the government of another political side, since the selection of the head of state began by direct universal suffrage in 1962.
The other option is the election of the first woman and the first leader of the far-right to sit in the Elysee, which will resonate beyond France's borders, similar to Britain's exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump in the United States in 2016.
The re-election of Macron, 44, would represent continuity, though the president pledged to put the environment at the heart of his work.
As for the arrival of Le Pen, 53, at the head of a nuclear power with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it will be an earthquake in terms of its magnitude, especially in the context of a war at the gates of Europe.
In front of a school in Rennes (west), Bernard Mougier, a 76-year-old retiree, said that he had voted "to avoid civil war," adding, "We must not make a mistake in choosing a person," expressing his "concern" about the outcome of this election.
As for the retired Pierre Charolais, 67, he believes that "there is a special situation" in the context of the war in Ukraine and the French presidency of the European Union. "Between bad and worse, the right choice must be made," he added.
And the latest opinion polls revealed that Macron will win the second round, which constitutes a second version of the one that took place in 2017, by a lesser margin than the one he recorded five years ago when he received 66 percent of the vote compared to 33.9 for his rival, to become the youngest president of the republic at the age of 39 years. .
The two candidates' platforms clash and offer radically different visions of Europe, the economy, purchasing power, relations with Russia, pensions, immigration, the environment...
With the aim of confronting his rival, Emmanuel Macron, who advanced in the first round (27.85%) by more than four points, reactivated the "Republican Front" in order to block the far right, as it seems that it lost its strength compared to 2017 and 2002 when Jacques Chirac overtook Jean- Marie Le Pen, Marine's father, won the second round of the presidential election.
In her third attempt, the National Assembly candidate focused on another front, "everyone except Macron."
In a wealthy area of Dijon (east), Morgan Moishe, 30, said upon leaving the polling station, "Vote for exclusion."
On the other side of town, in a more modest district where radical left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon topped in the first round on April 10, Charlie Grouleau, 41, said his vote went to "an imperfect candidate," adding, "But I voted with conviction. I could not see myself not participating in the elections."
Between the two sessions, the two candidates sought to win over the voters of Jean-Luc Melenchon.
But many of his "France in Rebel" supporters may be tempted to avoid the polls.
Voters will be called to the polls again on June 12 and 19 to participate in the legislative elections, where the new president will seek to obtain the necessary majority to rule.