PARIS. – France’s presidential election campaign kicked off officially on Monday. The first round of the elections is scheduled for April 22.

All the candidates are provided with equal time, free of charge 43 minutes on TV, controlled by the French the Supreme Audiovisual Council, Rosbalt reports.

The law also states that morning air at 8.00 a.m. is not equal to the evening 8.00 p.m.

Incumbent President Nikolas Sarkozy, Socialist Francois Hollande and Nationalist Marine Le Pen are among the top three, surveys claim.

Sarkozy and Hollande have higher chances to advance to the second round. The least famous among the candidates is the protector of France’s independence Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, while the only centrist candidate is head of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party Francois Bayrou. Ten candidates have been registered.