Paris, Apr 24 (AP) France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday in a race between between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

Macron is in pole position to win reelection in the country's presidential runoff, yet his lead over Le Pen depends on one major uncertainty: voters who could decide to stay home.

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A Macron victory in this vote — which could have far-reaching repercussions for Europe's future direction and Western efforts to stop the war in Ukraine — would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European centrist — yet the margin over his nationalist rival varies broadly, from 6 to 15 percentage points, depending on the poll.

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Polls also forecast a possibly record-high number of people who will either cast a blank vote or not vote at all. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)