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French in front of the election posters of the two candidates
Photo: John Wessels / AFP
France is electing a new President today.
48.7 million eligible voters will decide who will govern the country over the next five years.
The two candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, both voted in northern France.
Le Pen went to the ballot box in the morning in Hénin-Beaumont near Lille in northern France, Macron at noon in the seaside resort of Le-Touquet-Paris-Plage.
The first projections are expected immediately after the last polling stations close at 8 p.m.
According to the Interior Ministry, 63.23 percent of voters cast their votes by 5 p.m.
Voter turnout was thus almost 1.8 percentage points below the afternoon rate of the first election round on April 10.
Participation has also declined compared to the presidential election five years ago.
At that time, 65.3 percent had already voted in the second round by the afternoon.
Polls have predicted the highest abstention rate in decades for the second round of the presidential election.
Fateful choice for the EU
The last polls before the election put incumbent Macron ahead of Le Pen. Macron's lead had increased again in recent days.
The decisive factor was who could win over more voters from foreign camps.
The main concern was the more than 7.7 million voters who voted for third-placed leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round.
The two candidates competed with very different programs.
During the election campaign, Macron promised to aim for full employment in his second term.
The 44-year-old wants to raise the retirement age and strengthen the innovative power of the French economy.
He is sticking to his clear commitment to the European Union and close cooperation with Germany.
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Le Pen, on the other hand, once again stands for extreme and nationalist demands, even if she campaigned for a more moderate and bourgeois image.
For example, she wants to have preferential treatment for French people over foreigners enshrined in the constitution, for example with regard to social benefits and access to housing.
If the 53-year-old were to win the election, France would probably go on a confrontational course with the EU.
Le Pen wants to put national law above EU law and renegotiate the contracts.
She questions the hitherto important cooperation with Germany (read more about the programs here).
The French President is elected for five years.
He has a significant influence on the country's politics and often plays a more important role than the prime minister and head of government he appoints.
slue/dpa