As France's presidential election approaches, some aspiring candidates say they are still striving to collect the 500 signatures from elected officials required to join the ballot for the first round on April 10. Many an Élysée Palace dream has been dashed when hopefuls have fallen short of that magic number. What is the 500 signatures rule and how does it work? FRANCE 24 explains.
Before turning on the charm to win over voters, a French presidential candidate must first persuade 500 elected officials of the worthiness of his or her bid for France's highest office and have them sign off on it. Since 1976, every contender for the French presidency must, by law, gather 500 such signatures to see their candidacy validated by France's panel of so-called sages, the Constitutional Council.
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