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BATTLE FOR FRANCE

French voters go to the polls Sunday after a presidential election campaign that was noteable for its volatility and overshadowed in its final days by a terror attack on police in Paris.While there are 11 names on the ballot, only four leading contenders are seen as having a realistic prospect of making it through to the second round of voting.They are far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, scandal-hit conservative François Fillon, centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron and far-left wildcard Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
The top two in Sunday's vote will face off on May 7 for the second and final round of voting.
Latest polls suggest the results are too close to call, meaning France could end up with a choice between candidates from the far-left and far-right, or a far-right stalwart facing off against a political novice. With such a fractured field, no one is expected to win a majority in Sunday's first round.
Benoit Hamon is the mainstream left-wing Socialist Party nominee but polls suggest he has struggled to gain traction. Fellow socialist President François Hollande is so unpopular he decided not to stand for a second term.

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