France prepares for first round of tight presidential election

France has been preparing for the first round of presidential elections projected to produce a run-off rematch between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen that will be far tighter than their duel five years ago.

All further political activity by candidates was banned on the final day before polls open in mainland France at 0600 GMT on Sunday.

French overseas territories began voting earlier to take account of the time difference, starting with the tiny island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada whose voters cast ballots from 1000 GMT on Saturday.

Territories in the Caribbean followed a few hours later, with Pacific island voters set to cast their ballots from 1800 GMT and then finally the Indian Ocean territories before polling stations open in mainland France.

Polls predict that Macron will lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second round vote on April 24.

But analysts warn that the outcome remains highly volatile with uncertainty remaining over turnout and some observers fearing a quarter of the electorate may stay away in a possible record boycott of the vote.

READ MORE: Macron confident despite rival Le Pen closes in ahead of French vote

‘Strange campaign’

If Macron and Le Pen as forecast reach the second round, analysts predict that their clash will be far tighter than in 2017 when the current president thrashed his rival with 66 percent of the vote.

"There is an uncertainty ahead of the first round," said French political scientist Pascal Perrineau, pointing to unprecedently high numbers of voters who were still undecided or who changed their minds during the campaign as well as absentee voters.

Analysts fear that the 2002 record of the numbers of French voters boycotting a first round of 28.4 percent risks being beaten, with the 2017 absentee rate of 22.2 percent almost sure to be exceeded.

Some 48.7 million voters are registered across France to vote in this election.

"We have experienced a strange campaign that was at odds with what we experienced in the past presidential elections," said Frederic Dabi, director of the Ifop polling institute.

The stakes of the election are high for Macron, who came to power aged 39 as France's youngest president with a pledge to shake up the country.

He would be the first French president since Jacques Chirac in 2002 to win a second term and thus cement a place in the country's history.

A Le Pen victory would however be seen as a victory for right-wing populism and send shockwaves across Europe and markets.

READ MORE: France's Macron regrets starting campaigning late as Le Pen gains ground