[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The first round of voting to elect the President of France began at 8 a.m. local time on the 10th across France, with President Emmanuel Macron and candidate Marine Le Pen expected to engage in a close race in the first round.
The French National Institute of Statistics announced that 48.7 million people, equivalent to 95% of adults aged 18 and over eligible to vote in France, have registered as voters for this presidential election.
A total of 12 candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for this election. In France, if no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the top two candidates proceed to a second round to elect the president. Polling stations close at 7 p.m., but in major cities such as Paris, they may remain open until 8 p.m. Exit poll results will be released at 8 p.m.
Macron (44, male) is seeking re-election, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen (53, female) of the National Rally (RN) is once again facing Macron, as she did in 2017.
Various opinion polls suggest that President Macron and candidate Le Pen are likely to secure first and second place in the first round and advance to the runoff. According to the French Public Opinion Research Institute (Ifop), the gap in support between President Macron and candidate Le Pen has narrowed from 13 percentage points to 2 percentage points over the past month. This marks a change in atmosphere compared to the 2017 presidential runoff, where President Macron overwhelmingly defeated candidate Le Pen with 66% of the vote.
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