France’s centre-right are kicking off the country’s primaries. We’d like you to share your thoughts, and hopes, on the presidential elections

France’s centre-right opposition party Les Républicains (LR) is holding its first round of primaries to select its nominees for next year’s presidential election on Sunday. This is the mainstream right’s first primary, with candidates usually agreed-on in private.

Polls suggest the winner of the two-round party vote will become the country’s next leader, after a runoff against the Front National’s Marine Le Pen next year – the two-round election will be held on 23 April and 7 May.

Nearly 3m people took part in the Socialist’s first primary in 2011. This vote will be open to all on the electoral roll who pay €2 towards organisation costs – for each round – and declare “on their honour … to share the republican values of the right and centre”, but this is unlikely to deter non-supporters’ attempts to skew the result. The Socialist party will hold its two-round primary in January.

Are you voting in the primaries? Who would you like to become the next president? And what are your hopes, and fears for the country’s politics? You can share your thoughts using the form below. We’ll use a selection in our reporting.