French overseas territories kicking off presidential voting

Workers prepare booths at a polling station in Lyon, central France, Saturday, April 22, 2017. The two-round presidential election will take place on April 23 and May 7. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) (The Associated Press)

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A worker prepares the booths at a polling station in Lyon, central France, Saturday, April 22, 2017. The two-round presidential election will take place on April 23 and May 7. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) (The Associated Press)

A torn poster of independent centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron is displayed in front of a polling station in Lyon, central France, Saturday, April 22, 2017. The two-round presidential election will take place on April 23 and May 7. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – Voters waking up in some French overseas territories are preparing to vote first in France's unpredictable presidential election — one day earlier than in the mainland.

Political campaigning is banned from Saturday across France, and online, as voters in far-flung areas such as French Polynesia, Guiana, Guadeloupe cast ballots for one of the 11 candidates.

The mad-dash campaigning of the last few weeks came to a premature end Friday, hours after a gunman killed a police officer on the famed Champs-Elysees.

Major candidates canceled their last campaign day events Friday over security concerns including the National Front's Marine Le Pen, Les Republicans' Francois Fillon and centrist Emmanuel Macron.

Opinion polls suggest that at least four candidates have a chance of grabbing one of the two places in the May runoff.