When will we know the new president of France?
Usually on the evening of the runoff, with projections at 8 pm. In 2027 that is 2 May.
The new president is normally known on the night of the second round. In 2027 that is 2 May. Polling institutes publish projections as soon as the last polling stations close, traditionally at 8 pm Paris time.
Projections are based on early counts and samples of polling stations, and in recent presidential runoffs they have matched the final result closely. They are not the official result.
The Constitutional Council later proclaims the official results. If one candidate wins more than 50% in the first round, which has never happened under the Fifth Republic, the election would end on 18 April.
Explore France's 2027 presidential election
Keep reading
Official calendar: service-public.gouv.fr. This page is a general explainer and will be updated as the campaign develops.
Teaching and learning
Intended audience: Undergraduate students in French studies, history, political science and related fields; independent adult learners.
Suggested uses: Guided data interpretation, election comparison and evidence-based discussion.
After using this resource, learners should be able to:
- Interpret the election results, turnout figures and ballot statistics presented in this resource.
- Identify the election, round, geographic scope and denominator before comparing figures.
- Distinguish descriptive patterns in the data from claims about individual voting motives.
Use the objectives that correspond to the material available on this page. Collection pages provide entry points to individual resources; unfinished or unavailable material is not a completed learning activity.
Original materials © Dr. Amine Zidouh / French Politics, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 unless otherwise indicated. When sharing or reproducing covered material, credit Dr. Amine Zidouh and French Politics, link to the source and license, and identify changes. Images, protest signs, artworks and other third-party materials are excluded. See Rights, Credits & Educational Reuse for scope, attribution and the as-is disclaimer.