The Observer view on the French presidential election | Observer editorial

Europe and Britain wait to see which way France's voters will turn

After months of political shocks, high-profile scandals and fraught campaigning, the outcome of France's presidential election remains clouded in uncertainty, but the potentially momentous consequences of today's first-round vote, for the French, for Europe and for Britain, are clear.

It is often said at election time that this or that country is at a crossroads. On this occasion, this platitude has the ring of truth. With voters apparently split four ways, and with up to one-third undecided on the eve of the poll, this divided country, crying out for change yet uncertain how to achieve it, is undoubtedly at a turning point.