Around a fifth seen having abstained in French first round vote - surveys

French expats queue along the street and around the block outside the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle to cast their vote in a polling station inside the school, in the first round of the 2017 French presidential election, in London, Britain April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

PARIS (Reuters) - The final abstention rate in the first round of the French presidential election is likely to be around 20 percent, broadly in line with that of five years ago, according to two surveys published on Sunday. A survey from Harris Interactive estimated the final abstention rate at 21.5 percent, while one from Ifop-Fiducial for Paris Match and CNews put the abstention rate at 19 percent. The abstention rate was 20.52 percent in 2012, according to interior ministry figures. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Michel Rose)