Twelve candidates dey run for di French presidency, as incumbent Emmanuel Macron dey seek to do second term for office.
Voters go vote for di first round on Sunday and, assuming no-one win majority, di top two candidates go take part in di run-off on 24 April.
Di winner, wey dem go chose from four women and eight men wey dey contest, go get di power to shape France and dia key role for Europe for di next five years. Although di race don dey overshadowed by Russia war in Ukraine, for most voters, di main issue na di cost of living.
Wen im become France youngest ever president for 2017, e seal a im incredible rise wey begin less than a year afta im launch one political movement wey im call La République En Marche! to challenge di traditional parties.
Five years on, di 44-year-old, don kontinu to dominate French politics, but im dey face strong challenge from Marine Le Pen, di far-right candidate wey im easily defeat for di second-round run-off for 2017.
Im enter di Élysée as pesin wey dey unknown, im be former economy minister wey never run for elected office before. Im be di protégé of Socialist President François Hollande, im sweep away old political loyalties and, to many voters, wey set am apart from di ruling class.
Macron don get to navigate choppy political waters to push through controversial reforms.
Im make am easier for companies to fire workers, cut taxes and introduce tough security laws to tackle terrorism. But im bin dey forced to scrap one fuel tax wey im propose for 2018 after e spark weeks of protest by yellow-vest protesters, wey dey known as gilets jaunes.
Other reforms, include im promise to bring di rate of pipo wey no get jobs down from more than 10% to 7% by 2022, sometin wey di Covid pandemic hit hard, although unemployment currently dey down to 7.4%.
Now, im dey propose full employment within five years, taxes to cut by €15bn (£12.5bn) a year for households and businesses, and paying for im programme as im say im go gradually raise di retirement age from 62 to 65.
Increase on di pension age dey unpopular wit voters wey already dey face high cost of living. Im opponents don also accuse am of relying on expensive advice from US consultancy firm McKinsey.
Im don get to rethink controversial plan to make back-to-work benefit for pipo wey no get job wey im call RSA conditional on 15-20 hours of work a week. Macron also want invest in di armed forces, wit plan to double France’s reserve force.
Wetin be im chances?
Oga Macron don since be di favourite to win di vote, but opinion polls suggest say im main rival, Marine Le Pen, don narrow im lead and go give am strong challenge in di 24th of April run-off. Im poll ratings bin initially dey boosted by e diplomatic efforts during Russia war in Ukraine, but voters dey more concerned by increasing bills.
Marine Le Pen come out as runner-up to Emmanuel Macron for 2017 and diis time, she once again be im closest rival.
Her family don dey synonymous wit far right in France for years. She fit claim di hard-right vote to herself becos of fierce rival Eric Zemmour. Although some of her team don defect to im is camp, including her own niece, wey im extreme views on Islam and immigration don make her approach appear to be more moderate.
As political player for France for years, Marine Le Pen become Euro lawmaker before she act on her presidential ambitions. After she lose to be come president for 2017, she rebrand her National Front party as Rassemblement National, or National Rally.
She don since craft consistent anti-immigration, anti-EU message wey don resonate wit voters wey bin no dey satisfied.
In di past, she don express her admiration for Russia president Vladimir Putin and rely on one Russian bank loan for her 2017 presidential campaign. She condemn im invasion of Ukraine, while she warn of the risk of sanctions to di French economy.
Now at 53, she don promise to stop abuse of di right to asylum, wit referendum wey go restrict immigration. And she wan ban Islamic hijab – make pipo no dey wear am for public areas. She also hope to turn di European Union into an alliance of nations wey EU laws no go fit challenge.
Marine Le Pen wan waive income tax for those wey dey under 30 and make companies avoid tax contributions if dem raise minimum wage by 10% for many of their staff.
Wetin be her chances?
Dis na her di third time she go run for presidency (she come out third for 2012 election). If she make am to di run-off, as di polls suggest, Marine Le Pen fit give Emmanuel Macron real fight for di presidency.
Di strongest candidate on di left na veteran agitator Jean-Luc Mélenchon, wey be staunch critic of Emmanuel Macron economic policies and be prominent supporter of di yellow-vest protests.
Though few pipo believe im fit go all di way to di presidency, im don lead strong campaign and see himself as “intelligent tortoise”, wey overtake some of di hares for di race. Im outdoor rallies fit attract more dan 20,000 supporters.
Oga Mélenchon drop im career in teaching and journalism for left-wing politics in di 1970s. Im serve briefly as junior education minister under Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin but – by di early 2000s – im come dey disappointed wit di Socialist party rightward drift.
After im set up new left-wing party, im become a Euro lawmaker and dey stand for di presidency for di third time under di banner of La France Insoumise – France Unbowed. For 2017, im attract 19.6% of di vote.
Im programme na one of high spending and many reform of di constitution, to revive democratic life under a Sixth French Republic.
Im promise to lower di retirement by two years to 60, while Mr Macron aim to raise am, and e wan raise di minimum wage, wey dey known as di Smic, by 10% to €1,400 (£1,175) a month.
Im critics don accused am of being too lenient on President Putin – im want France to no align and make dem no dey part of Nato.
Wetin be im chances?
Amongst di left-wing candidates wey dey na im be di strongest by far, but im soft stance on di war for Ukraine fit turn potential voters off.
“I dey ready to be di first woman president of di Republic,” na so Valérie Pécresse tok wen she declar her candidacy for July last year.
Wen France right-wing Les Républicains (Republicans) chose her to be dia first-ever female presidential candidate, she climb quickly for di polls, but her star don fall since sake of accusations of confused campaign and defections for her party.
Since 2015, she don serve as di first female leader of di Île-de-France regional council, wey cover Paris. She describe herself as “one-third Margaret Thatcher and two-thirds Angela Merkel”.
Valérie dey speak four languages, including Russian, she enter politics as part of President Jacques Chirac’s team, but make her political reputation as higher education minister from 2007-11 under Nicolas Sarkozy. Di fact say im refuse to back her campaign don also harm her chances.
Ms Pécresse lead reforms to higher education wey witness wave of strikes.
Many consider her to be pro-European and moderate, she don take hard line on right-wing issues wey include immigration, integration and Islam. Dem don criticise her for appearing to embrace anti-Muslim conspiracy theory.
Her campaign don accuse Macron camp say dem dey copy her policies wey hope to raise di retirement age and go require pipo on income support to do 15 hours’ training or work every week. Her main response to help voters fight inflation na 10% increase in monthly salaries under €2,800, paid for by savings wey reforms create as well as cuts in pension contributions.
Wetin be her chances?
Initially pipo bin see her as di main obstacle to Macron victory, Valérie Pécresse den struggle to find her voice and dey fight for fourth place in di polls. One speech to supporters early in di campaign bin dey described as wooden and she get little hope of reaching di run-off.
Im be journalist, author and TV commentator wit no election experience and im get conviction of inciting racial hatred wey typically for no dey considered to be presidential material for French politics.
But far-right challenger Éric Zemmour, 63, don build career on positioning himself against wetin im call “politically correct consensus” and now offer a “reconquest” – Reconquête – of France.
Im burst on to di political scene for 2021 during one national tour to promote book wey lament di perceived decline of France, which im mostly blame on immigration and Islam.
Initially im climb di polls, as im offer nationalism wey many say dey tougher than Marine Le Pen own. But im don since fall back as im proposals don become tough.
Im plan for di ministry of re-immigration, to deport 100,000 immigrants each year, particularly to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, don dey condemned by Ms Le Pen. She say e dey deeply unfair and “anti-republican”.
Oga Zemmour face controversy for minimising di guilt of Philippe Pétain, di head of France collaborationist goment, in di Nazi deportations of Jews for World War Two. And im record on Russia dey embarrassing too: back in 2018 im say im dey “dream make France get French Putin”.
Im call for ban on first names wey im consider as un-French, im tell one woman on live TV say her parents no get right to call her Zina. Im also want dual-national repeat offenders to lose dia French citizenship, as well as ban on wearing di hijab in public.
Im don model im campaign on former US President Donald Trump. Im also get di unwanted honour of being di first candidate in di race wey dem stone egg for head.
Wetin be im chances?
Im get little chance of reaching di second round, as far-right voters see Marine Le Pen as a more viable candidate.
Other candidates on di left
Yannick Jadot na former Greenpeace militant and Member of European Parliament since 2009, di Greens pick Yannick Jadot through one online primary.
Im don accuse Emmanuel Macron say im chair over five years of climate denial and want France to get rid of nuclear power within 20 years. Im also want solar panels to dey installed on most buildings. Oga Macron just back plans for di building of anoda six nuclear reactors.
As well as pushing for big change in income tax, wit additional levels for higher earners, Jadot, 54, go like to see €1,500 minimum wage, plus citizen’s income dey guaranteed for all over-18s and €400 (£335) handout for families wey inflation don hit hard.
Im bin don dey compete wit ex-Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to be di champion of di mainstream left and fit influence how leftist supporters vote for di presidential election.
Fabien Roussel: Di first Communist candidate for 15 years, im charismatic approach don record some success. Roussel, wey dey 52 years, don call for France big banks to dey nationalised and for pay rises for public servants including nurses and teachers. Im want investment in renewable and nuclear energy and minimum wages to rise to €1,500 a month.
Anne Hidalgo: Dem choose her as candidate for di Socialists, her struggle to get support from voters reflect di deep decline of a party wey run di kontri only five years ago, under President François Hollande. She want big rise in di minimum wage, higher salaries for teachers and 15,000 new doctors.
Nathalie Arthaud: Na schoolteacher from outside Paris, she now dey challenge for di presidency for di third time for di far-left Lutte Ouvrière (Workers’ struggle) party, but she never attract more than 1% of di vote yet. Even as she dey opposed to Russia “monstrous” invasion of Ukraine, she get little time for Nato either.
Philippe Poutou: Di former car factory worker dey standing for di New Anti-Capitalist party and advocate redistribution of wealth.
Other candidates:
Jean Lassalle: Closer to di centre of French politics dan other candidates but by no means a moderate, Jean Lassalle come from a family of shepherds for Pyrenees mountains to become France youngest mayor in 1977.
One time, im go on hunger strike to protest against factory closure and later walk more than 6,000km (3,700 miles) around France to meet di pipo. As leader of Résistons! (Resist), im don champion France yellow-vest anti-Macron protesters as im wear gilet jaune inside parliament and don call for citizens’ initiative referendums, renegotiate di EU treaties and pull out of Nato.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan: Im be libertarian wey leave di mainstream right to start di Debout la France (France Arise) party, im don put freedom for France for di centre of im campaign – dis na di third time im go run for presidency.
Im see Emmanuel Macron as “public danger” to France, im no agree wit di EU and campaign against Covid restrictions. Im also want wages to dey increased and linked to inflation. In di past, im don back alliance wit Russia and object to sending weapons to Ukraine.
