Millions of French voters headed to polling stations across the country on Sunday to chose their representatives in the European parliament in a election expected to confirm a rising support for anti-Europe parties, reports GlobalPost.
With polling stations opening at 8 a.m. local time, the majority of the 46 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots to elect their 74 deputies to sit in the European parliament for five-year-mandate.
In a run-off tainted by economic crisis and high unemployment across the single-currency bloc, Eurosceptics from far-right camp were likely to seize a major lead over the centre conservative party Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and the ruling Socialist Party (PS), which already suffered heavy losses in local elections, according to poll surveys.
A CSA survey showed the anti-immigration Front National party (FN) which called for a withdrawal form the EU, at the top the ballot by 26 percent of votes, followed by the UMP and pushed the Socialists in third place with 16 percent of votes, a fresh blow to President Francois Hollande, already in a torrid battle to regain voters confidence.
"This election will be a rejection of Hollande and the Socialists," the local broadcaster Europe1 quoted as saying a UMP official.
With an approval ratings at 18 percent, "Hollande's ability to convince voters is strongly diminished with the discontent with actual policies could favor the surge of extreme parties," according Yves-Marie Cann, an analyst from CSA.
By 12:00, turnout was 15.7 percent, up from 14.81 percent recorded five years ago, the interior ministry's figures showed. However, the country's pollsters estimated turnout to stand below the 2009's rate of 40.63 percent, amid widespread abstention which mirrors the frustration of disgruntled voters.
The first official results will be released after the last voting booths close at 8 p.m., with final results to be unveiled on Monday.
Read more of this Xinhua report published by GlobalPost.