France's 12 presidential candidates are busy making a last-minute appeal to voters on the campaign trail before campaigning officially ends at midnight on Saturday.

The eight men and four women vying for France's top job have spent the last two weeks presenting their platforms to nearly 48 million registered voters across the country.

Under France's strict election rules, media appearances and rallies are not permitted on the weekend leading up to the vote. However, candidates are able to continue campaigning on social media, which is not subject to the same rules.

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Two rounds of voting for one president

It's unlikely any one of the candidates will win more than 50 percent of the vote, which qualifies as an automatic victory.

Instead, the top two candidates in Sunday's round of voting will likely go head-to-head in a definitive second-round vote in two weeks' time.

Polling suggests the run-off will be a rematch of 2017's second round between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen.

Macron defeated Le Pen by a large margin, but recent polls indicate the race is much tighter this time.

READ MORE: French presidential elections: What you need to know

Key issues: Purchasing power and European security

The cost of living has quickly become a key election issue that many blame the incumbent president for not doing enough to tackle.

Energy prices have skyrocketed over the past year and the costs have put the brakes on France's post-pandemic economic recovery.

The war in Ukraine and its repercussions have also impacted the daily lives of voters, as food prices rise.

From both ends of the political spectrum, candidates are encouraging supporters to vote, amid fears that abstention could be at levels not seen since 2002.

Voters in France have two options if they choose to abstain. They can not show up at all or they can vote "white" which counts their act of voting without giving support to any candidate.