have spoken and gave me the honor to be qualified in the second round against the incumbent president emmanuel macron. let me express to the millions of voters who expressed their trust in me my sincerest gratitude. i acknowledge in humility all the responsibility that comes with it. this year s election saw significant abstentions with voter participation falling to a two-decade low for a first-round vote. as cnn s paula newton reports, the question now is when the candidates can inspire nonvoters to show up for the second, final round. reporter: sunday in paris. for many french people, it was a laissez faire kind of day. to lounge by the seine or enjoy a drink at a cafe. there was one activity many people around the country decided to skip, voting in the first round of the country s presidential elections. the candidates voted. but turnout for the rest of the country was less impressive. a french polling group estimates