Undecided voters in French presidential election make race unpredictable

Francois Fillon, former French Prime Minister, member of the Republicans political party and 2017 French presidential election candidate of the French centre-right, visits the French National Space Agency (CNES) in Toulouse, France, April 13, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Unlike the 2012 presidential election, which had been a clear two-horse race between the conservative incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, the 2017 competition for the Elysee Palace remains difficult to predict.

Outgoing president Hollande decided not to seek a second term. Additionally, fraud scandals have tainted far-rightist Marine Le Pen's bid and engulfed that of Fillon.

Recent surveys showed a spectacular surge in popularity of far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. However, he was seen at third place behind the two front-runners Le Pen and Macron.

Opinion polls predicted for months that Le Pen would win the first round with Macron taking second place, sending the duo to a May 7 run-off where he would comfortably beat her.

Bernard, a 47-year-old worker at a private chemical products company, is a traditional Socialist voter. He said: "Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon has not enough credentials to win. So, I think that Macron is the best and deserves my vote to echo Socialists' interests," he said.

Ten days ahead election's first round, 45.7 million voters were registered to cast their ballots on April 23. Pollsters expect a record high abstention rate at 35 percent

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Thomas Guenole, political scientist and professor at Sciences Po University, said: "The election is quite unpredictable because voters have become too unstable in their voting behavior. They decide much later. They hesitate much longer, and they have much less reluctance to vote for an unusual party."