French voters to decide between Le Pen, Macron

French voters on Sunday to choose their next president after an unpredictable campaign that has divided the country, the media reported.

The second round contest pits centrist Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old former investment banker, against the far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen, 48, the BBC reported.

Citizens in some overseas territories and many French expats abroad have begun voting.

The polls open in metropolitan France at 8 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

Polling stations will remain open in some big cities until 8 p.m., with early estimates of the result due to be reported immediately after they close.

The two candidates, who topped a field of 11 presidential hopefuls in the first round election on April 23, have offered voters starkly different visions of France, reports the BBC.

Macron, a liberal centrist, is pro-business and a strong supporter of the European Union (EU), while Le Pen campaigned on a France-first, anti-immigration programme.

She wants France to abandon the euro in the domestic economy, and hold a referendum on France's EU membership.

Macron is widely expected to win the vote, but analysts have said high abstention rates could damage his chances.

--IANS

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