People across France are queuing up to cast their vote in the nation's presidential election.

The winner of the contest will replace François Hollande who has chosen not to seek a second term inside the Élysée Palace.

International attention has been drawn to the contest with opinion polls showing the leading four candidates neck-and-neck.

We've pulled together a handy guide of how France will decide on thier new leader and how it impacts on Scotland.

Voters will choose their preferred candidate for the presidency.

A total of 11 people have made it on to the ballot paper after securing 500 signatures for their nomination from amongst the nation 37,000 mayors and parliamentarians.

If no candidate secures a majority of the votes then the two candidates with the most votes will go forward to a second 'run off' round.

All nine other candidates will be eliminated and the campaign to be president will be over.

Voters will then return to the ballot box on May 7.

Four candidates have emerged in opinion polls with a chance of making it to the all-important run off.

They are:

Macron's main points:

Le Pen's main points:

Mélenchon main points:

Fillon's main points:

Polling stations in France will close at 8pm (UK time) on Sunday.

Counting will then get under way across the country.

We will get an indication of how the country voted at around 9pm (UK time) when exit polls have been published by French media outlets.

If no candidate gains at least 50.01% of the vote then the top two nominees will go forward to the run-off round in a fortnight's time.

Then, and only then, will we know who is the next French president.

The winner of this election will play a major part in shaping the Brexit negotiations.

A month after the second round election, the UK will hold a general election on June 8.

After both nations have elected their Prime Minister and president, the UK's negotiations to leave the European Union will begin.

Who will be at the table for France - the second biggest economy in the remaining EU - will have a major influence on how the 27 nations approach the talks.

The deal which Britain and the EU strike over the next two years will impact on Scottish businesses and the nation's wider economy.