The current head of state, Emmanuel Macron, is hoping for a second term in office. His biggest rival is considered to be the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. The left-wing populist Jean-Luc Mélenchon is also hoping to make it into the run-off election on April 24. A total of 12 candidates are running in the first round. The French election campaign got off to a slow start and was overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. Hardly any issues chimed with voters, and many candidates were perceived as weak, increasing fears of a low voter turnout. Surveys recently predicted that up to 30% could stay away from the polls. The French president has far-reaching powers and holds office for five years. He is more powerful than the prime minister he appoints and has a decisive influence on the country's fate. The election outcome is also of considerable interest for Europe as a whole. The liberal centrist Macron is seen as a far easier and more reliable partner than Le Pen or Mélenchon, with whom close cooperation is difficult to imagine because of their sometimes radical positions. Polling stations in France are open until 7 pm and in some places until 8 pm. Because of the time difference, voting already took place on Saturday in some French overseas territories, for example in the Caribbean.