First round of French presidential elections’ voting begins

Polls opened across France for the first round of the country’s presidential election, where eligible voters will be choosing one of 12 candidates.

The most prominent candidates are President Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking a second five-year term, with a strong challenge from the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, and the far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Polls suggest Macron will come first, ahead of Le Pen, as in the 2017 elections, while the radical leftist candidate Melenchon comes third.

Unless someone gets more than half of the nationwide vote, there will be a second and decisive round on Sunday, 24th April.