The Second Round of the French Presidential Election Begins

The second round of the French presidential election began on the morning of May 7. The two candidates competing in this final round are Emmanuel Macron, the centrist candidate from the newly founded "Forward" movement, and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right "National Front" party. In the first round of the French presidential election, Mr. Macron secured nearly 24 percent of the votes, while Ms. Le Pen garnered over 21 percent. Reuters reports that current polls indicate Macron's votes are between 23 to 26 percent higher than Le Pen's. The centrist candidate advocates for increased cooperation within the European Union, while a potential victory for the National Front candidate, who is a critic of the EU, could have a profound impact on the future and continuity of this institution. The two final candidates have shown significant disagreement on a wide range of issues, from the functioning of the EU, the euro, combating unemployment, and economic issues to threats from terrorism and immigration. The European Commission, in an unprecedented move, has supported Emmanuel Macron, describing him as "the representative of European values." More than 50,000 police forces are responsible for ensuring the security of the election on Sunday; security is the primary concern during the voting hours ahead. The second round of the French election has begun amid the release of numerous hacked emails and documents from Mr. Macron's campaign office on social media and the internet just hours before the voting commenced. Emmanuel Macron's campaign team claims this cyber attack was aimed at "undermining" him. The last debate between the two remaining candidates in this pivotal French election took place last Wednesday evening, lasting 150 minutes and reportedly attracting nearly 20 million viewers. The debate was marked by intense attacks from both sides, sarcasm, and aggression, and received widespread coverage outside of France. Despite polls indicating support for the centrist candidate, a report from the polling institute "Odoxa" shows that one-quarter of voters will not participate in the second round of the election; this figure represents the highest rate of non-participation in a French presidential election in the past fifty years. Additionally, a Reuters poll indicates that 60 percent of potential voters for Macron stated they are voting solely to prevent Ms. Le Pen from winning. Furthermore, the victory of either candidate in the election on Sunday will not signify a pause in the current intense political competition in France, as parliamentary elections are set to follow just one month later. The number and percentage of voters for Ms. Le Pen, even if the National Front candidate does not win the presidential election, could influence the upcoming parliamentary elections. Initial estimates from the second round of the French presidential election are expected to be released at 8 PM local time.