40% of electorate still not sure about who to vote for

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is too extreme, but centrist Emmanuel Macron is too young. Conservative Francois Fillon cannot be trusted, Socialist Benoit Hamon is the establishment, and Communist-backed radical Jean-Luc Melenchon too risky.

Just a week before the French cast their first votes for the next President, this is how the many undecided voters view this year’s cast of candidates: with abject disappointment.

Marc Jaurena lives in the northeastern city of Metz but drives nearly an hour to work in Luxembourg, 63 km away. “For me, working in Luxembourg, my job will be directly impacted by a Marine Le Pen election,” Mr. Jaurena said, as the far-right leader has pledged that, if elected, she would pull France out of the euro currency and hold a referendum on whether the country should leave the EU.

Uncertain election

The 34-year-old Jaurena said he had also been scandalised by the fake jobs scandals that have embroiled not only Ms. Le Pen, but also Mr. Fillon.

Mr. Jaurena is also unmoved by the ethos of the Communist-backed eurosceptic Melenchon, and by what he called Mr. Macron’s “brainwashing”.

He is among the nearly 40% of voters who have yet to decide which way they’ll vote — or even if they’ll show up at on election day next Sunday.

Voters’ indecision has reinforced the uncertainty of this year's two-round presidential election, in which four candidates — Ms. Le Pen, Mr. Macron, Mr. Melenchon and Mr. Fillon — are neck-and-neck for the first round of voting on April 23.

In the western city of Rennes, Pierre, 28, voted for the then president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012, but he is leaning towards Macron this time around, “because he’s young”.

But for retired teacher Jeannette, 77, who is among the undecided voters, said Macron is “too young”.

“Undecided voters are a feature of this election,” political scientist Richard Kleinschmager said, adding: “The situation has become too complex to get people engaged.”