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Turnout is high for French presidential vote

Paris - Thursday may have prodded voters into taking part in the election.

Voter turnout in France's close presidential election is above 69 percent in late afternoon, almost as high as the last presidential vote.
The Interior Ministry announced Sunday that the turnout had reached 69.4 percent, compared to 70.6 percent in the first round of presidential voting in 2012.
After years of economic stagnation and high unemployment, voter disillusionment is exceptionally high this year, prompting expectations of lower-than-usual turnout
Polls have suggested that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen's voters were especially motivated to cast ballots while supporters of other candidates were less convinced.
Sunny weather in much of France may have played a role. Some pollsters also said an attack on police Thursday may have prodded voters into taking part in the election.
4:50 p.m.
Thousands of people are rallying in Berlin to show their support for the idea of a united Europe and for a pro-European outcome for France's presidential election.
The weekly demonstrations organized by a grassroots group in Germany and other European countries calling itself Pulse of Europe began at the end of 2016 to counter growing nationalist sentiment and opposition to the European Union.
On Sunday, thousands showed up at the German capital's Gendarmenmarkt square. They waved the star-spangled blue flags of Europe, held up signs like "Berlin loves France" and sang Europe's "Ode to Joy" anthem.
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4:25 p.m.
Even though the northern French town of Henin-Beaumont is presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's bastion, that's no guarantee of votes for the far-right contender.
Voters trickled in Sunday in a steady stream to polling station No. 12, an elementary school where Le-Pen had voted earlier in the day in the first round of France's presidential election.
Valerie Hosaert, a 48-year-old insurance company worker, says "there are 11 candidates and not one that pleases me ... so I'm voting for the least bad."
Charlotte Villette, 25, added "we don't have much choice. They're all losers."
Yvette Tifou, 67, a retired math teacher, said her choice was "relatively simple" since she is a long-time leftist. She also said Sunday's presidential vote is more important than past presidential votes in France.
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2:50 pm
In Montreal, thousands of French citizens have waited in lines that snaked at one point to eight blocks long to cast their votes in France's presidential election.
Polls opened Saturday morning in Canada's main French speaking city, home to Quebec's highest population of French nationals. French citizens lined up to vote at Montreal's only polling station at Stanislas College in Outremont.
The vote in mainland France is happening Sunday, but polling stations in France's far-flung overseas territories and in embassies around the world opened on Saturday to allow enough time to collate the vote results altogether.
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2 pm
Outgoing French President Francois Hollande has said the best message of this election would be "to show democracy is stronger than anything" by going out to vote.
Hollande, who is not standing for re-election, oversaw tight security measures for Sunday's first round poll to help prevent disruption after Thursday's deadly attack on the Champs-Elysees.
His government mobilized over 50,000 police and gendarmes to protect polling stations.
Voting in his political fiefdom of Tulle in Correze, southwestern France, Hollande said that "we are in such a time, and sadly it's nothing new and not about to end now, when we must mobilize a lot of means."
He called the measures a "guarantee to the French people this fundamental right of choosing their future."
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1 pm
France's Interior Ministry says the voter turnout so far in the first round of the presidential election is about the same as it was in 2012, when turnout was high.
At midday Sunday, the ministry said that 28.54 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballot, compared with 28.29 percent in 2012.
Commentators have said a low voter turnout would benefit far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, whose voters are seen to have more enthusiasm and are more certain to vote in a low turnout election than supporters of some other candidates.
 Fillon, a former prime minister, appeared to be closing the gap, as was far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon.
France's 10 percent unemployment, its lackluster economy and security issues topped voters' concerns.
Early voting began Saturday in France's overseas territories.