Le Pen vs Macron: 10 pointers to the French Presidential election

As France voted on Sunday in a crucial and the most unusual election (results are expected in the early hours of Monday Indian time) in a long time, here are 10 points to keep in mind:

• In a few hours from now, France will elect either Marine Le Pen (48) as its first female President, or Emanuel Macron (39) as the youngest President ever.
• This is the first time in 60 years that neither candidate is from the two main political parties, Socialists, or the Republicans (Conservatives).
• Whoever wins will have the work cut out in the election to the National Assembly scheduled next month. Emanuel Macron has no ‘Deputy’ or MP in the Assembly of 577 while Le Pen has just two.
• Both Socialists and Republicans are gearing up to contest the Parliamentary election that will decide who will be the Prime Minister and who will be in the cabinet.
• The election result has profound significance for Europe as Le Pen is in favour of leaving the European Union while Macron is in favour of making it stronger.
• French economy and politics too is awaiting radical changes as Le pen wants to reduce the age of pension while pro-business Macron wants to reduce public spending and change labour laws.
• While Macron led Le pen by over 22 percentage points in polls ahead of the election on Sunday, an unprecedented one-third of the French voters are expected to give the election a miss and jeopardise Macron’s chances. Low polling in the early hours (till Noon French time) indicated abstention could be high.
• While Macron accuses Russian hackers of interfering with the French election and is suspicious of Moscow, Le Pen met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and is in favour of closer cooperation with Moscow.
• The French Presidential election is being avidly watched because it is taking place ahead of general election in Germany and the United Kingdom. The outcome, it is believed, could influence the elections there.
• Incumbent President Francois Hollande has pledged to respond to the massive email hacking of the Macron campaign ahead of the elections. While there is a blackout imposed by the French regulator till the election is over, details of the hacking and how it affects the election will keep France and the rest of the world riveted for a long time.