Updates: Macron and Le Pen Move to Second Round of Elections

First Round of Election Results place Macron and Le Pen in Second Round

Election results ahev been annoounced, placing Emmanuel Macron (Republic on the Move) first in this first round with 28.1 percent of the vote. Coming in at a close second is Marine Le Pen (National Rally) with 23.3 percent. They are officially France's two finalists for the April 24 run-off.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon finished third and well ahead of the rest with 20.1 percent of the vote, according to current estimates. Followed by hardline pundit-turned-politician Eric Zemmour, with 7.2 percent, ahead of the conservative Les Républicains Valérie Pécresse on an even 5 percent.

President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will move on to the second round of elections on the April 24, for the final round of elections that will determine who will be France´s new president for the 2022 - 2027 term.

Abstention rate at 26.2% in the first round of Presidential elections

As Election Day was about to close, voter turnout was down compared to the 2017 election.

An update from pollsters Ipsos/Sopra estimate that the abstention rate is at 26.2 percent for the first round, weighing in below the 2017 figure but still about the 2002 record of 28.4 percent, according to France24. In 2017, the first-round rate was 22.2%.

The turnout rate, a major concern of these elections, was 65% at 5:00 p.m. local time, the time of the last update of the day. Like the midday record (which was 25.4 %), the figure evidences a drop of 4.4 %, compared to the 69.42 % of voters who voted at the same time during the first round of 2017.

Results for the first round will be anounced shortly.

Lower Voter turnout at 5PM down 4% since 2017

Although today's elections are proceeding with normality, the Interior Ministry has just announced the turnout at 17:00 PM Paris time (GMT+2) is just at 65%, down four percentage points from the same time in 2017.

In order for there to be a winner today, a candidate should obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. Otherwise, the two with the highest number of votes will go to a decisive second round on April 24.

Weak Campaigning To Blame for Low Voter Turn Out

French citizens have describe the campaign run up to these elections as a “phony campaign”, that has in part failed to address the key issues. This has heightened fears of a low turnout this time around.

According to the statistics, voter turnout in France has decreased from 84% in 2007 to about 78% in 2017, and studies show that abstention this time may be even higher, which could lead to a historical low turn out.

According to France24, the Présidentielle traditionally attracts the most French voters – far more than parliamentary elections. A low turnout could have a major impact on the vote, pollsters have warned, noting that young and low-income voters appear less likely to go to the polls than retirees and more affluent people.   

In 2002, the abstention record was set at 28.4%, as voters failed to go to the polls in the first round of elections. So far, midday statictics show that voter turnout stood at 25.48% in today’s first round of the 2022 vote – three points lower than in 2017.

“Just like today, in 2002 there was a constant feeling of a campaign that didn’t work, which in turn created a temptation towards a protest vote,” said François Miquet-Marty, head of Viavoice pollsters. “Our polling shows 75% of French people think there aren’t really any new ideas in this campaign. And at the same time, 76% of people are worried about their children’s futures. There is a sense that the solutions on offer in this campaign aren’t enough.”

Before the polls opened in mainland France, the overseas territories in the Americas and the South Pacific had already enabled their inhabitants to vote in the first round of the presidential elections in the hours of Saturday.

With the exception of St. Pierre and Miquelon and St. Barthélemy (an island in the Caribbean), none of the territories in the Americas exceeded 40% turnout. Sint Maarten (another Caribbean space) was the lowest after reaching just 24.6%.

Meanwhile, the Oceania territories also failed to reach 50%. Wallis and Futuna (in the South Pacific) came the closest with 44.9 %; New Caledonia had 33 % and Polynesia marked the floor with 23.8 %.

Over 25% Have Cast Their Vote by Midday, France

By midday this Sunday 25.48 percent in the first round of the French presidential election.

Amongst the most notable voters is former French prime minister Édouard Philippe, who resigned from his post in July 2020; Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy cast his ballot earlier this morning; French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, cast a first-round ballot in the city of Marseille.

Valérie Pécresse of Les Republicains (The Republicans or LR) presidential candidate cast her first-round ballot in the town of Vélizy-Villacoublay in the Paris region; French Communist Party presidential candidate Fabien Roussel cast his ballot Saint-Amand-les-Eaux in northern France; and Rassemblement National (National Rally or RN) presidential candidate Marine Le Pen cast her first-round ballot in Hénin-Beaumont in northern France.

2022 Presidential Elections in France Kick Off

French electrion polls have opened this Sunday to renew the Presidency of the Republic for the period 2022-2027, a position that is disputed by a total of 12 candidates this time around.

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France: Presidential Elections May See Historic Low Turnout

More than 48.7 million citizens were summond to vote and the electoral authorities expect to announce the first official results on Sunday night.

The polling stations opened their doors at 08:00 local time (02:00 EST) and will be operating until 19:00 local time (13:00 EST), although they may extend their work in case there are voters present.

To win the Presidency in this first round, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the valid votes, something that has never happened during the Fifth Republic, in force since 1958.

A total of 12 candidates are competing for the presidency of the European country, however, polls indicate that no candidate will win on this day, so a second and definitive round should be held on April 24.

Opinion polls predict that the current French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the leader of the right-wing National Rally, Marine Le Pen, will make it to the second electoral round.

Other presidential candidates include the conservative Valérie Pecresse, the far-right Éric Zemmour, the leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the socialist Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.