JODY AMITE via AFP
PRESIDENTIAL – Silence, we vote! The first voters started going to the polls this Saturday, April 9, overseas and abroad for the first round of the presidential elections† The metropolis will have to wait until Sunday to decide between the 12 candidates, who will be held with the greatest discretion until the close of the vote, which promises to be tight between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, favorites as in 2017, with Jean-Luc Melenchon on the watch.
Huge obscurity of this 11th presidential election by universal suffrage of the Fifth Republic: the degree of abstinence† In the afternoon, the first estimates indicate a stake of 17.31% in Guadeloupe (decrease compared to 2017), 12.07% in Saint-Martin (up), 21.44% in Saint-Barthélémy (down), 15, 53% in Guyana (down), 17.5% in Martinique (top).
Many political scientists fear that the record of April 21, 2002 (28.4%), the highest level ever recorded for a first round of a presidential election, could be broken, much more than in 2017 (22.2%) already set. not a good harvest year.
From New York, Los Angeles, Montreal or Washington, the French in North America also started voting this Saturday. In Montreal, thousands of people rushed from 8 a.m. to the polls opening, as you can see in the video below† More than 67,000 French are registered in the French-speaking metropolis, 10,000 more than in the last presidential election.
No vote for the French in Shanghai
Pending the first results on Sunday at 8 p.m., public gatherings, distribution of leaflets and digital propaganda are prohibited.
Polling stations open at 8am on Sunday in mainland France and no interviews, polls or estimates are allowed to be published before the results.
St-Pierre-et-Miquelon got the ball rolling at 8pm (afternoon in Paris), followed by Guyana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
Then comes the Pacific, with Polynesia starting voting at 8pm in Paris, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia.
In the Indian Ocean, where the time difference is smaller, Reunion will vote at 6 a.m. Paris time and Mayotte at 7 a.m. on Sunday.
Some French living abroad are also leading the way, but those who live in Shanghai can’t voteChina’s largest city is locked up in the name of China’s zero Covid strategy.
In France, surgical masks will be available in all polling stations. Wearing it is not mandatory, but “highly recommended” for vulnerable people and those who have recently tested positive for Covid-19. Vulnerable people can also request priority access.
See also on The HuffPost: Not sure who to vote for? Here are three keys to help you
