One of the most annoying things when it comes to politics is the complexity of the political calendar, especially during an election year where there are two major elections.

Fortunately for everyone, the French Dispatch is here to help you to navigate the complex timings of the 2022 elections.

Élection Présidentielle 2022

1st January 2022 - Start of Audio-Visual Controls

The talk time and air time of candidates begin to be controlled by ‘l'Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique’ (ARCOM) in order to ensure a fair campaign where nobody is unfairly privileged by egregious airtime.

As you France watchers may see throughout this year, and may have already noticed, many will complain about candidates, particularly President Emmanuel Macron, having an unfair advantage or abusing his position as President to get extra campaigning done.

31st January at the latest - Le Pen Makes Her Decision

One of the big signposts of the 2022 Presidential Election is the decision that Marine Le Pen has said she will make by the end of January: Whether she will quit or keep going.

While this depends on her polling numbers not falling by a significant numbers, currently it seems unlikely that she will quit as we have seen from the latest polls that she is close behind her right-wing competitor Valérie Pécresse, and moving ahead of far-right upstart Eric Zemmour.

4th March 2022 - Deadline for Submitting Applications

With every candidate requiring the sponsorship of around 500 elected officials (Which can be anything from mayors, deputies and senators to regional and departmental advisers, etc.)

There’s a strong likelihood that incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron will submit his candidature closer to this period than earlier, either due to needing to focus on the ongoing crisis around us, or due to indecision on whether he should run or not (which I believe is incredibly unlikely.)

4th March 2022 - Deadline for Registration on the Electoral Rolls

If people want to vote, they need to make sure that they’re ready and able to do so by actually being registered for this!

For those who are curious about comparing the requirements for voting, one must:

• be of full age on polling day (born no later than April 9, 2004, or April 23, 2004 to vote in the second round);

• be French (residents of another European Union country cannot participate in the presidential election);

• reside or pay taxes in the municipality in which you wish to vote. French people living abroad can vote, provided they are registered on the electoral list of a town hall or on a consular list (since 2019 it is no longer possible to be registered both on a municipal list and consular);

• hold full civil and political rights.

11th March 2022 - Publication of the List of Candidates

This is going to be the day that we 100% know who is going to be a candidate in the 2022 election, and when we find out if Zemmour and Le Pen managed to make it, and whether the incumbent president has decided to run for re-election.

Of course, this all depends on whether these candidates all managed to get the requisite number of sponsorships to endorse their candidature.

28th March 2022 - Beginning of the Official Campaign

Here we go…I guess?

Despite some candidates having effectively campaigned for between 3 years to 5 months by this point, the Presidential election will have official kicked into gear! on this day, officially this always takes place on the second Monday preceding the first round of the election.

8th April 2022 - End of the Official Campaign for the First Round, part 1

The official campaign of the first round comes to an end in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, French Polynesia and in the embassies and consular posts located on the American continent (including Hawaii).

9th April 2022 - End of the official campaign for the First Round, part 2

All electoral propaganda messages are banned from midnight on April 8, meaning that candidates are banned from campaign from this point onwards.

9th April 2022 - First round of the presidential election, part 1

Citizens are able to vote in the first round of the election of the President of the Republic in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and French Polynesia.

This is to take into account the time difference and ensure that the results can be announced at the correct time.

10th April 2022 - First round of the presidential election, part 2

This is when the rest of the territories containing French citizens are allowed to vote, with millions of us swarming ballot boxes across the world.

14th April 2022 - Decision of the Constitutional Council

To add an extra level of complexity, the French Constitutional Council must validate the results of the election and establish the list containing the two candidates who have the right to stand in the second round.

15th April 2022 - Start of the Official Campaign for the Second Round

This is when our chosen candidates (I wonder who…) will be permitted to begin their campaign for the second round, and will begin their work in convincing the French citizenry that they are the best person to lead the country for a Quinquennat (five-year mandate).

23 April 2023 - Second Round of the Presidential Election, Part 1

For voters in certain time zones, they are asked to vote a day early for the President of the French Republic.

24 April 2022 - Second Round of the Presidential Election, Part 2

For everybody else, we get to vote on a Sunday. The candidate who has been selected as the French President by the people is announced late in the evening, and the candidate usually holds a celebratory speech somewhere in Paris to thank their campaigners, supporters, and make promises for the years to come.

13th May 2022 at the latest - Handover of Power

This is the latest day that the chosen Presidential candidate is invited for a handover of power, and is usually given some pieces of advice by the outgoing president who we hope imparts some wisdom on the incoming leader to make the transition smoother.

Unless Macron is re-elected, of course.

24th May 2022 at the latest - Submission of Campaign Accounts

This is the date on which all campaigns must have submitted their financial disclosures and answer any questions they are asked

Élection Législative 2022

5 June 2022 - First Round of the Legislative Elections, Part 1

For the French living abroad, as well as those from French Polynesia, the first round is organised one week before metropolitan France, and this can prove to be a first signal of what the election will look like for certain parties and candidates.

In certain departments and communities, the vote takes place the Saturday before the election takes place in metropolitan France, and this is usually planned according to distance and locale.

12 June 2022 - First Round of the Legislative Elections, Part 2

This is the day on which the majority of French citizens vote in the ballot boxes for their preferred candidates to go through to the second round, picking two candidates who will campaign against one another to represent their department at the Assemblée Nationale.

12 June 2022 - Second Round of the Legislative Elections, Part 1

As above, French citizens living abroad and in French Polynesia vote one week ahead of time.

19 June 2022 - Second Round of the Legislative Elections, Part 2

This is when the majority of French citizens vote and make their final decision on who would be the best placed to represent them as their deputy at the Assemblée Nationale.