President Macron, Le Pen qualifies for French election runoff

France has set to expect the tight race for the twelve presidential elections. On Sunday, April 10, the first round of poll was completed; and the second round seems to be conducted on April 24, 2022. 

President Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen made it to the runoff on April 24 in the much-anticipated competition for leadership of Europe’s second-largest economy.

Voter turnout at 5:00 pm CET was 65 per cent, several points lower than what it was at that time in the last election in 2017.

Critical points on the first round of France’s presidential election:

• French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen have qualified for trance’s presidential election runoff.
• Several candidates have called on their supporters to vote against the far-right in the runoff election on April 24, including Yannick Jadot, Anne Hidalgo, and Valérie Pécresse.
• Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon came in third in the first round of the election, just a few points behind Marine Le Pen.
• France’s traditional left and right parties have ‘collapsed almost completely’, an expert informed the election results. Both the Socialists and Republicans looked set to receive under 5% of the vote, which means they would have to pay for their campaign costs.
• The abstention rate was at 25.16%, which is high for a presidential record but not a record.
• Here are six takeaways from the first round of France’s presidential election.
• How does the election system work? Here’s a look at how the vote works.
• The French president is afforded more powers than other European presidents. Here’s a rundown of how the Fifth Republic works.
• From inflation and the war in Ukraine to COVID-19 and the environment, there are a lot of topics that have played a role in the first round of this election.