In the first round, the midday turnout was 28.54% of registered voters. That figure was higher during the 2012 presidential election (28.29%) but lower than in 2007 when the turnout was 31.21%.
During the first round, 22.2% of voters refused to come to polling stations compared to 20.5% at the 2012 election and 21.6% at the 1995 election, TASS news agency reported.
The Interior Ministry will provide more accurate data at 17:00 local time. Experts note that the voter turnout during the second round of the presidential election is no less than 80%. However, according to some experts, about 28% of registered voters could refrain from casting their ballots.
Nevertheless, statistics show that the turnout in the second round of the French presidential election has always been higher than in the first one since 1969.