On the eve of its next presidential election, who/ what are the people of France voting on?

The forthcoming election in France is hard to predict, as they all tend to be. The issues are those brought about by the EU, immigration and fear of both and fear in general. 

During this writer's university days, I lived in Rennes, France for a few months. At the time (1998), the National Front's leader was Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of the current leader, Marine Le Pen. At that time, I saw numerous protests against the FN. One phrase I recall hearing shouted was "Le Front Nationale, ils sont tous fascistes!" 

The disquiet has continued into the next generation. Current president, François Hollande, has publicly said: "the extreme right is deeply dividing France."

So, the ultimate question is: what motives and inspiration does the electorate have? 

Some commentators have observed that France is now in decline. Has Brexit inspired some similar feelings, which would be an irony, given that France is a founding member. The IS-inspired lack of security has recently brought about an atmosphere of fear, which could be leading to support for the National Front. 

The main competitor for Marine Le Pen is Emmanuel Macron, a centrist supported by outgoing President Hollande. 

As is common in France, there is a lot of variety, including of candidates of all extremes (right and left). The future will depend on whom gets elected, and why.

The worst case may arise if the now independent candidate Le Pen, wins the election. The reasons for her policies are not known for being sensible, nor are the motivations and lack of reason of those voting for her.