France votes in 11-candidate presidential runoff

French citizens head to the polls Sunday to vote in a runoff election that will pare down a field of 11 presidential candidates to the top two.

No one candidate is expected to take an outright majority; rather, four candidates are in contention to make it to the second round: far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen, center-right François Fillon, centrist Emmanuel Macron, and far-left populist Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Of these, Le Pen and Macron are generally considered the frontrunners in a close race, and Le Pen — an immigration and war on terror hardliner — is thought to benefit from the fear created by Thursday's terrorist attack in Paris.

France has a prime minister as well as a president; the current PM is a member of the Socialist Party. The prime minister is generally tasked with domestic policy while the president's focus is foreign affairs.

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The vote between Sunday's winners will be cast May 7. In the meantime, read The Week's guide to France's populist uprising, including a description of the top four contenders.