Hello and welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service coming live from

London this is Owen Bennett Jones now many thought it was reckless for

President Macron in France to call a snap election and today

we should get a good indication of whether those critics were right and whether

the president did indeed miscalculate it's the first of the two rounds of

voting today and the key question despite Macron's hopes will France shift away

from the pragmatic centre and towards leftist and rightist coalitions with quite ideological

elements.

On the right, it's the national rally, on the left the popular front, the President's

centrist alliances together ensembles.

Well, these voters from near Bordeaux in southwestern France gave their views on the elections.

There is a lot at stake for France, for our future.

Things must change, they need to change.

We can't be more disappointed than we already are anyway.

A lot at stake, one said there, and this man in Paris also said a lot was riding on the vote.

I expect that all that person will face up to

their responsibilities that they will realize that there is a lot at

stake and that for once they will realize that the future of their

country is in their hands, in the hands of 40 million French voters.

And I'm very happy to see that the turnout is going to increase significantly because our democratic institutions are at stake.

Well the BBC's Rob Young is in Enab Beaumont.

It's the heartland of Marine La Pen country and so why don't you just tell us about that first of all what what's it look like where is it

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