Everything will be decided on April 24: France will choose its president in the ballot between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen.
The outgoing president is confirmed in the lead in the first round with 27.85% of the votes, ahead of Le Pen, with 23.15%. Third place, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, gets 21.95%.
Abstention was 26.31%, the highest level since the first presidential round in 2002, when it was 28.4%.
"Nothing has yet been decided - was the comment of the president in search of reconfirmation -, what will happen in the next fifteen days is decisive for France and for Europe". And then the invitation to all compatriots, of every " political color ”, to block the way to the far right.
But the popular protagonist of this first round was Mélenchon, the tribune of the radical left, who for the first time went over 20% and finished in third place.
The election campaign was very complex for everyone: first the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine. The candidates had to organize themselves on different themes from the previous ones. The battle horses for all have always been climate warming, minimum pensions, immigration. But in recent months everything has changed as well as the strategies to convince the almost 49 million voters (of which one and a half million reside abroad).
(Unioneonline / ss)
