Francois Fillon or Alain Juppe, both candidates have now cast their ballots, and now it’s up to France to choose who it wants to represent Les Republicains. Whoever wins the second round of the centre-right’s primary run-off is likely to challenge far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

Early turnout figures show participation is 10-15% higher than the first round.

Opinion polls peg Francois Fillon as the favourite heading into the race. He has positioned himself more right of the centre, calling for radical economic reforms, as well as limits to adoption for same-sex couples.

While his rival Alain Juppe has taken a more moderate stance, attacking what he called Fillon’s retrograde vision on the role of women, the family and marriage.

At a polling station in Paris one voter remarked: “The candidate who is going to be elected today, needs to get as many votes as possible to avoid (the) extreme Right Wing.”

“I think that in terms of international issues like Syria and Russia, we need someone solid, someone with stature and competence and a someone with interesting experience,” said another voter.

Once the doors close at polling stations in the early evening, the first results should be known when 20 per cent of the count is in, but more definitive results aren’t expected until midnight.