French voters headed to polling stations nationwide Sunday for the first round of the country's presidential election, one that seemed for months like a shoo-in for French President Emmanuel Macron but is now a tossup amid a strong challenge from the far right's Marine Le Pen.
Macron, a centrist, is asking France's 48 million voters for a second five-year term -- but there are 11 other candidates and widespread voter apathy standing in his way. Many French also blame Macron for not doing enough to help them cope with the soaring costs of food, fuel and heating, or say he has ignored domestic concerns amid his focus on the war in Ukraine.
The top two vote-getters in Sunday's election advance to a decisive runoff April 24 -- unless one candidate gets more than half of the nationwide vote Sunday, which has never happened in France. Polls on Sunday close at 7 p.m. in most places and an hour later in some larger cities. By noon, just over a quarter of France's electorate had cast ballots, slightly down from previous elections. Pundits before the vote suggested a low turnout could hurt Macron's chances, but it could also hurt Le Pen too.
Macron for months looked like a shoo-in to become France's first president in 20 years to win a second term. But that scenario evaporated in the campaign's closing stages as the pain of inflation and rising gas, food and energy prices became the dominant election theme for many low-income households. They could drive many voters Sunday into the arms of Le Pen, Macron's political nemesis.
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