France begins voting in second round of presidential election

PARIS: Voting stations opened in France for the second round of the presidential election, with opinion polls indicating Emmanuel Macron was likely to beat Marine Le Pen.



Macron wants to deregulate the economy and deepen European Union integration, in contrast to the anti-EU and anti-immigration National Front candidate Le Pen.



Forecasts proved to be accurate for the presidential election's first round last month and financial markets have risen in response to Macron's widening lead after a bitter television debate earlier in the week.