In Macron vs Le Pen Tomorrow, Why French Voters Will Vote Against, Not For The Candidate

French Presidential Election 2022: This year, as in 2017, those top two candidates are Emmanuel Macron (centre right) and Marine Le Pen (far right).

France's electoral system is held over two rounds. In the first, anyone who meets the threshold criteria (this year, 12 candidates) can run. Assuming no one wins an absolute majority (this has never happened), the top two candidates go head to head in the second round. This year, as in 2017, those top two candidates are Emmanuel Macron (centre right) and Marine Le Pen (far right).

One goal of voting over two rounds is to ensure that the final victor enjoys the support of an absolute majority of the nation. The other goal is for people to vote with their hearts in the first round and their heads (that is, strategically) in the second round. But in 2022, neither of these goals has been fulfilled.

The tradition of voting with your heart was based on the old style of electoral competition between various parties of the left and right. People chose their preferred party in the first round, then supported whichever party from their side of the spectrum qualified to the second round. This pattern has collapsed since the emergence of the far right as a major electoral force in France, and the more recent emergence of the centre. For the second election running, neither the mainstream left nor the mainstream right has made it through to the final run-off. Voters are now being forced to vote tactically from the first round onwards.