Polls have opened in France in the first round of a bitterly fought presidential election that is crucial to the future of Europe.

Nearly 47 million voters will decide, under tight security, whether to back a pro-EU centrist newcomer, a scandal-ridden veteran conservative, a far-left admirer of Fidel Castro or a highly controversial woman who would shut borders and ditch the euro.

Emmanuel Macron, 39, a centrist ex-banker who set up his party just a year ago, is the opinion polls' favorite to win the first round and progress to the two-person run-off on May 7, alongside far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen.

But conservative Francois Fillon is making a bit of a comeback after being plagued for months by a corruption scandal, and leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon's ratings have surged in recent weeks.

Adding uncertainty to France's most unpredictable election in decades, pollsters say they might not be able to give precise estimates of the outcome tonight because small and medium-sized polling stations will be open one hour longer than in past elections.

Some 67,000 polling stations opened at 8 a.m., monitored by more than 50,000 police officers

Source: MENA