French people have gone to the polls this Sunday (10), in the first round of presidential elections, in lower numbers than in elections recorded in the last 20 years.
As of 17:00 local time (12:00 GMT), only 65% of voters had cast their votes, according to a partial balance released by the French Ministry of the Interior.
In the 2017 elections, when President Emmanuel Macron won his first term, the rate was 69.42%. The turnout at 5 pm was also higher in previous elections in 2012 (70.59%) and 2007 (73.63%).
The turnout this Sunday is only not lower than that recorded in 2002, when the rate at 5:45 pm was 58.45%.
The polls are open from 8 am to 8 pm (3 am to 3 pm in Brasília).
Supporters of Macron, who has led the polls, fear that a low turnout in the elections could be used by opponents to question the legitimacy of an eventual victory for the centrist president.
Polls have indicated that Macron should contest the second round, on the 24th, against the far-right Marine Le Pen. They also show how much distance between Le Pen and Macron has shortened in the final weeks of the campaign.
An Ipsos poll released on Friday (8) showed the president with 26.5% of voting intentions, ahead of the far-right Marine Le Pen, with 23%. The difference between the two, which reached 16 percentage points, fell within a month to 3.5. In third place is Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the ultra-left, with 16.5%. In an eventual runoff, Macron would beat Le Pen by 53% to 47%.
The lawsuit is considered unique in recent French history by the context that precedes it. Unlike previous contests, which for months occupied space in public debate, this election was overshadowed first by the pandemic and in recent weeks by the war in Ukraine.
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