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| French Election: The 5 Leading Presidential Candidates | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PARIS — Amid electoral upheavals around the world, including “Brexit” and the election of President Trump, France will hold a first round of national voting to elect a president on April 23. | PARIS — Amid electoral upheavals around the world, including “Brexit” and the election of President Trump, France will hold a first round of national voting to elect a president on April 23. |
| Unless one candidate wins more than half of the votes, the two candidates with the most ballots go on to a second round, held on May 7. Whoever wins that round is elected president. | Unless one candidate wins more than half of the votes, the two candidates with the most ballots go on to a second round, held on May 7. Whoever wins that round is elected president. |
| Though the number of candidates in the first round is unlimited, already several candidates from across the political spectrum are leading in the polls. Here is a look at who they are. | Though the number of candidates in the first round is unlimited, already several candidates from across the political spectrum are leading in the polls. Here is a look at who they are. |
| Age: 62 | Age: 62 |
| Party: Republican Party (Les Républicains) | Party: Republican Party (Les Républicains) |
| Political positioning: right-wing conservative | Political positioning: right-wing conservative |
| Mr. Fillon, a former prime minister, is a socially conservative and pro-free-market political veteran who has called for deep cuts in public spending and major changes in the French workplace. | Mr. Fillon, a former prime minister, is a socially conservative and pro-free-market political veteran who has called for deep cuts in public spending and major changes in the French workplace. |
| He wants more controls on immigration, and he has said that Islam threatens traditional French values. Mr. Fillon was recently accused of embezzling public funds during his time in Parliament, upending a campaign that was in large part based on a projected image of probity. He has denied wrongdoing and refused to withdraw from the race. | He wants more controls on immigration, and he has said that Islam threatens traditional French values. Mr. Fillon was recently accused of embezzling public funds during his time in Parliament, upending a campaign that was in large part based on a projected image of probity. He has denied wrongdoing and refused to withdraw from the race. |
| Age: 49 | Age: 49 |
| Party: Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste) | Party: Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste) |
| Political positioning: left wing of the Socialist Party | Political positioning: left wing of the Socialist Party |
| Mr. Hamon, a lawmaker and former education minister, left the government when his party shifted its position toward pro-business, austerity policies. | Mr. Hamon, a lawmaker and former education minister, left the government when his party shifted its position toward pro-business, austerity policies. |
| An outspoken voice of dissent in his fractured party, Mr. Hamon has appealed to young socialist voters with an environmentally friendly, socially liberal platform, putting forth proposals to phase in a universal revenue, legalize marijuana and tax robots. | An outspoken voice of dissent in his fractured party, Mr. Hamon has appealed to young socialist voters with an environmentally friendly, socially liberal platform, putting forth proposals to phase in a universal revenue, legalize marijuana and tax robots. |
| Although Mr. Hamon has secured an alliance with the French Green Party, the field on the left is still divided between him and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, considerably lowering his chances of reaching the second round. The last time a Socialist Party candidate did not make it to the second round was in 2002. | Although Mr. Hamon has secured an alliance with the French Green Party, the field on the left is still divided between him and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, considerably lowering his chances of reaching the second round. The last time a Socialist Party candidate did not make it to the second round was in 2002. |
| Age: 39 | Age: 39 |
| Party: A newly created political movement that roughly translates as On Our Way! or Onward! (En Marche!) | Party: A newly created political movement that roughly translates as On Our Way! or Onward! (En Marche!) |
| Political positioning: independent centrist | Political positioning: independent centrist |
| Mr. Macron, a former economy minister, was one of the main drivers behind the socialist government’s shift toward more pro-business economic policies, including allowing stores to open on Sundays. | Mr. Macron, a former economy minister, was one of the main drivers behind the socialist government’s shift toward more pro-business economic policies, including allowing stores to open on Sundays. |
| Last summer, Mr. Macron left the government and started his own political movement, which he says is neither on the left nor the right, leaving some wondering what he stands for. He has pitched himself as forward-looking and socially progressive and is running on a free-market, pro-Europe platform. The candidacy of Mr. Macron, a former investment banker, recently received a lift when the prominent centrist and three-time candidate François Bayrou announced he would endorse him. | Last summer, Mr. Macron left the government and started his own political movement, which he says is neither on the left nor the right, leaving some wondering what he stands for. He has pitched himself as forward-looking and socially progressive and is running on a free-market, pro-Europe platform. The candidacy of Mr. Macron, a former investment banker, recently received a lift when the prominent centrist and three-time candidate François Bayrou announced he would endorse him. |
| Age: 65 | Age: 65 |
| Party: Left Party (Parti de Gauche) | Party: Left Party (Parti de Gauche) |
| Political positioning: hard left | Political positioning: hard left |
| Mr. Mélenchon, a onetime Trotskyite and former Socialist politician, left that party in 2008 to create his own movement, the Left Party, backed by the Communist Party. | Mr. Mélenchon, a onetime Trotskyite and former Socialist politician, left that party in 2008 to create his own movement, the Left Party, backed by the Communist Party. |
| A fiery orator, Mr. Mélenchon has attracted those on the left who were disappointed by the current government’s pro-business policies and hard-line approach to security. | A fiery orator, Mr. Mélenchon has attracted those on the left who were disappointed by the current government’s pro-business policies and hard-line approach to security. |
| If elected, he wants to renegotiate European treaties or leave the European Union, reduce working hours and massively increase public spending to support economic growth. Like Mr. Fillon and Marine Le Pen, he is in favor of working with Russia on international issues like Syria. | If elected, he wants to renegotiate European treaties or leave the European Union, reduce working hours and massively increase public spending to support economic growth. Like Mr. Fillon and Marine Le Pen, he is in favor of working with Russia on international issues like Syria. |
| Age: 48 | Age: 48 |
| Party: National Front (Front National) | Party: National Front (Front National) |
| Political positioning: far right | Political positioning: far right |
| Ms. Le Pen is the daughter and political heir to Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the National Front, a far-right, nationalist, anti-immigration party. | Ms. Le Pen is the daughter and political heir to Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the National Front, a far-right, nationalist, anti-immigration party. |
| Since becoming head of the party in 2011, she has tried to clean up its xenophobic and anti-Semitic image, leading her to split with her father and then oust him from the party. For years, she has put criticism of globalization and Islam at the center of her platform. | Since becoming head of the party in 2011, she has tried to clean up its xenophobic and anti-Semitic image, leading her to split with her father and then oust him from the party. For years, she has put criticism of globalization and Islam at the center of her platform. |
| If elected, she has promised to hold a referendum on a French exit from the European Union. She has led in the polls so far, but pollsters predict she will find it much harder to defeat an opponent in the second round of voting, where mainstream parties often work to prevent the National Front from winning. | If elected, she has promised to hold a referendum on a French exit from the European Union. She has led in the polls so far, but pollsters predict she will find it much harder to defeat an opponent in the second round of voting, where mainstream parties often work to prevent the National Front from winning. |