French presidential election: Macron faces serious challenge from Le Pen

Paris [France], April 10 : As France votes today for the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron faces stiff competition from far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Macron enjoyed solid support in the beginning as he tried to achieve a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine and led talks on economic sanctions against Russia, reported NHK World.
However, his rival Le Pen's support base including low-income voters has edged up and is threatening Macron's aspirations for a second term.
She vied for wider support with pledges to improve the economy and living standards in the face of soaring prices of goods such as fuel, reported NHK World.
Voters in France are heading for the polls on Sunday for the first round of the presidential election which is held every five years.
Twelve candidates are in the electoral, with the Ukrainian situation dominating debates among the candidates, besides bringing the economy on track from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The average of opinion polls as of Friday night shows that Macron, who is a centrist, kept his lead with 26 per cent support and Le Pen got 23 per cent.
Jean-Luc Melenchon on the far left garnered 17 per cent support while, some polls show that about 30 per cent of voters are still undecided, reported NHK World.
A preliminary result will be known on Monday. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the two candidates who garner the most votes will qualify for a run-off on April 24.