'Dear France' Trends as World Awaits Election Results: 'Don't F*** This Up'

As French voters took to the polls Sunday, many others took to Twitter to plead with them to either reelect French President Emmanuel Macron or to vote in right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen—prompting "Dear France" to trend.

Macron and Le Pen are facing off in a close election that experts say could have significant consequences for the future direction of France and Europe as a whole. The importance of the election has made many across the world to keep a close eye out for the results.

On Twitter, American supporters of Macron shared their thoughts—some drawing a comparison to the 2016 presidential election when former President Donald Trump, a Republican, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton—a result that shocked millions of Americans.

Many wrote "open letters" to French voters, urging them to really think about their vote.

Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under former President Bill Clinton, wrote: "Dear France, This election isn't about Left versus Right, Macron versus Le Pen. It's about democracy versus authoritarianism. The world is watching."

Author and podcaster Kimberley Johnson warned France not to "f*** this up."

Some Le Pen supporters also weighed in.

"Lots of "Dear France, things are terrible, vote for the status quo of awful" tweets out there this morning. Hope Le Pen wins," wrote Twitter user Blake Elliot.

Many on Twitter also raised concerns about Le Pen's past support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has come under heightened scrutiny amid the widely condemned invasion of Ukraine, as France is one of the most powerful countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Le Pen visited Putin ahead of the 2017 French election and has previously defended Russia's foreign policy. "Ukraine is part of Russia's sphere of influence, it's a fact," she said. She has also said Putin must be "pretty popular" to be reelected—though experts warn that Russian elections aren't free or fair.

As her past comments have become a major contention during the race, she has taken efforts to distance herself from Putin, condemning the invasion of Ukraine, slamming it as "absolutely indefensible."

"Dear France, You were a cradle of democracy. Please don't vote for Marie Le Pen. That is what Putin wants you to do. That will be a knife in the back of Ukraine. A vote for Le Pen is a vote for the graveyard of democracy," wrote Twitter user Robin Messing.

Polls have indicated that the race will be closer than when the two faced off in 2017. Macron easily won that race with 66 percent of the vote. In the first round of voting on April 10, Macron won more than 27 percent of the vote, while Le Pen won about 23 percent, with 10 other candidates splitting the rest.

A Financial Times poll tracker showed Macron ahead with 55.3 percent of the vote, while Le Pen averaged 44.7 percent.