French voters began casting ballots for the presidential election Sunday under heightened security in a tense first-round poll that's seen as a test for the spread of populism around the world.
Over 60,000 polling stations opened for voters who will choose between 11 candidates in the most unpredictable election in decades.
Security was tight after a deadly attack on the Champs Elysees on Thursday in which a police officer and a gunman were slain. The government has mobilised more than 50,000 police and gendarmes to protect polling stations, with an additional 7,000 soldiers on patrol.
It's the first time in living memory a presidential election is taking place during a state of emergency, which was put in place after the Paris attacks of November 2015. As of noon Sunday, 28.5% of French voters had shown up to cast ballots in an election seen as unprecedented here. The French interior ministry said that's slightly above the rate in the 2012 vote. Opinion polls point to a tight race among the four leading contenders vying to advance to the May 7 presidential runoff, when the top two candidates face off. Polls suggest far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist and former economy minister, were in the lead. But conservative Francois Fillon, a former prime minister, who was embroiled in a scandal over alleged fake jobs appeared to be closing the gap, as was far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon.Very interesting election currently taking place in France.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2017
Where do the candidates stand on European and foreign policy? #FrenchElection pic.twitter.com/ZaTVGJJ5Sx— ECFR (@ecfr) April 23, 2017
US President Donald Trump weighed in on the campaign on Friday, expressing support for the Le Pen, saying she is "strongest on borders, and she's the strongest on what's been going on in France."
France's 10% unemployment, its lackluster economy and security were issues that top concerns for the 47 million eligible voters.
Political campaigning was banned from midnight Friday hours ahead of polls opening in France's far-flung overseas territories such as Guadeloupe, French Polynesia and French Guiana, which all voted a day early Saturday.
