New Delhi, July 1 -- France will hold the first round of its next presidential election on April 18, 2027, with a second round set for May 2 if no candidate wins an outright majority, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon announced Wednesday following the weekly cabinet meeting.

these are Sundays, April 18 and May 2, 2027, when the first and then the second round of elections will be held, respectively," Bregeon told reporters at a government briefing, formally ratifying dates that had been widely expected and circulated by French media since Tuesday.

The announcement formally sets in motion what is shaping up to be the most consequential French political contest in a generation. President Emmanuel Macron, whose second five-year term bega...