French voters headed to polling stations nationwide Sunday for the first round of the country’s presidential election, one that seemed for months like a shoo-in for French President Emmanuel Macron but is now a toss-up amid a strong challenge from the far right's Marine Le Pen, per the AP.
- Incumbent's trouble: Macron, a centrist, is asking France's 48 million voters for a second five-year term—but there are 11 other candidates and widespread voter apathy standing in his way. Many French also blame Macron for not doing enough to help them cope with the soaring costs of food, fuel, and heating, or say he has ignored domestic concerns amid his focus on the war in Ukraine.
- Big implications: With war raging on the European Union's eastern border, this French presidential election has significant international implications, including the potential to reshape France’s post-war identity and indicate whether European populism is on the ascendant or in the decline.