Voter turnout in French election is lower as compared to 2017 elections: Interior Ministry

Around 63.23% of French people entitled to vote had already gone to the polling stations, the French Interior Ministry announced on Twitter.

The turnout is about 2% lower than it was at the same time during the previous presidential elections in 2017 (65.30%), and also 1.8% lower than during the first round of the presidential elections on 10 April.

The turnout also was 2% lower than at the same time in the 2017 presidential elections.

Before the start of the second round, some observers indicated that they feared the turnout would be very low. However, while the turnout now is still slightly lower than five years ago, their fears do not seem to have been realised.

Both incumbent Emmanuel Macron of the liberal centre party La République en Marche (LREM) and his challenger Marine Le Pen of the far-right and nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) already made plans for a possible victory.

Macron is opting for the classic approach: he will address his party members and supporters at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

On the other hand, Le Pen reportedly wants to do things differently: 13 buses with her image on them – that she already used during her campaign – will drive to Paris, according to various local reports. The buses symbolise her connection with the areas further away from the French capital.