France conducts first round of Presidential elections, expecting 49mn voter turnout

France is holding the first round of the Presidential elections on Sunday from 08:00 local time [06:00 GMT] till 19:00, with the polling places operating until 20:00 in bigger cities such as Paris, Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and others, expecting the voting turnout of about 49 million people.

The second round of the election is scheduled for April 24.

In addition to the two frontrunners, the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, and right-wing National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen, the list of presidential candidates includes Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse, Eric Zemmour of the far-right Reconquete party, far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel, and leader of the right-wing France Arise party Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.

According to Elabe poll, conducted on Thursday and Friday among 1,801 adults, Macron could win 26% of the vote, while Le Pen is right behind him with 25%. They are followed by far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right candidate Eric Zemmour, who are predicted to win 17.5% and 8.5%, respectively. Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse has 8% of the vote. In the run-off, Macron is poised to win 51% against Le Pen's 49%.

Meanwhile, the latest Ipsos poll, held from Wednesday to Friday, including over 1,500 adult respondents, gives Macron 26.5% of the vote, and 23% to Le Pen. Melenchon is the third with 16.5%. Zemmour and Pecresse are behind with 9% and 8.5%. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )