(VOVworld)- Around 40 million voters in France today/Sunday begun casting ballots in the first round of the French presidential election, which will set a course for the next five years. Sunday's voting will elect a list of 10 candidates from across the political spectrum to two finalists for the decisive runoff on May 6.

Two main rivals at this year's presidential election

Polls for months have suggested that conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, a Socialist, are likely to make that cut with Hollande taking the lead ahead his rival Sarkozy. There remain unknown factors that make the results of the election’s first round more unpredictable. A factor that might play a key role to the final result is the possible 30% percentage of people not coming to the polls. Moreover, a question being discussed most lately is about who will come third in the election as this person will hold a major role in the alliance negotiation in preparations for the 2^nd round. Polling stations will open until 6 pm and 8 pm at some places, and preliminary results are expected to be announced at 8 pm local time on Sunday.

Paris-based VOV correspondent Thuy Van-Dao Dung