After winning the first round of the Presidential elections incumbent French president Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen have made an aggressive start to the next phase of the campaign ahead of the country's presidential runoff vote on the 24th of April.

French Presidential Elections: Macron, Marine Le Pen begin runoff campaigns

The French elections headed for a runoff between Emmanuel Macron and&nbsp;Marine Le Pen&nbsp;as the first round projections&nbsp;appeared to be on the knife's edge suggesting the French president held a slender 28.6 to 29.7 per cent lead over his far-right rival. The final results have still not been declared.

Macron and Marine Le Pen will now compete in a runoff which will be held on April 24 with&nbsp;the presidential elections in balance.&nbsp;

There were 12 candidates in the fray for the presidential polls&nbsp;with Macron and Le Pen, 53, now ready to fight for the coveted post.&nbsp;According to projections, Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse finished in fifth place.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/macron-regrets-entering-frances-presidential-race-late-as-le-pen-cuts-lead-469367">Also Read:&nbsp; Macron regrets entering France's presidential race late as Le Pen cuts lead</a>

Macron held the edge over Le Pen in the first round of voting as other candidates fell away.

Le Pen had earlier declared that this would be her last presidential election even as French term limits would disallow Macron from re-election in 2027.

Watch: Will Emmanuel Macron get a second term?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/france-elections-will-emmanuel-macron-get-a-second-term-469930/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The French president declared that the "next 15 days will be decisive for France and Europe" ahead of the crucial runoff. Macron had earlier held a ten-point lead but it was shaved off consistently by Le Pen with a campaign focussed on living costs as she&nbsp;promised to "bring order back to France".

Le Pen had concentrated on grassroots campaigning while bringing her party close to the mainstream even as Macron, 44, who had won the presidential election in 2017 enjoyed&nbsp;a comfortable lead in the polls. Macron promised tax cuts and raise in the retirement age as elections neared.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The French elections headed for a runoff between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen as the first round projections appeared to be on the knife's edge suggesting the French president held a slender 28.

The French elections headed for a runoff between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen as the first round projections appeared to be on the knife's edge suggesting the French president held a slender 28.6 to 29.7 per cent lead over his far-right rival. The final results have still not been declared. Macron and Marine Le Pen will now compete in a runoff which will be held on April 24 with the presidential elections in balance. There were 12 candidates in the fray for the presidential polls with Macron and Le Pen, 53, now ready to fight for the coveted post. According to projections, Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse finished in fifth place. Also Read: Macron regrets entering France's presidential race late as Le Pen cuts lead Macron held the edge over Le Pen in the first round of voting as other candidates fell away. Le Pen had earlier declared that this would be her last presidential election even as French term limits would disallow Macron from re-election in 2027. Watch: Will Emmanuel Macron get a second term? The French president declared that the "next 15 days will be decisive for France and Europe" ahead of the crucial runoff. Macron had earlier held a ten-point lead but it was shaved off consistently by Le Pen with a campaign focussed on living costs as she promised to "bring order back to France". Le Pen had concentrated on grassroots campaigning while bringing her party close to the mainstream even as Macron, 44, who had won the presidential election in 2017 enjoyed a comfortable lead in the polls. Macron promised tax cuts and raise in the retirement age as elections neared. (With inputs from Agencies)

French elections: Macron faces Le Pen in presidential runoff

IPSOS poll shows 40% voters under 35 years likely to abstain from elections. Voters say that candidates do not address their issues. Macron poised to win first round, first phase of polling to be held on 10th April.

Poll: 40% of voters under 35 years likely to abstain from voting in the French election

In France, the first round of voting for the presidential election concluded. Partial results after the first round are putting incumbent president Emmanuel Macron in first place ahead of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

French Presidential Election 2022: Early results put Macron ahead of Le Pen in round one

The French will decide on April 24 whether to re-elect pro-business centrist President Emmanuel Macron or blow up decades of mainstream consensus in favour of far-right Marine Le Pen.

Here's what to expect from them on major issues:

The Economy

Le Pen: The far-right heiress has transformed the former National Front, turning her father's free-market, small-government party into a big-spending, protectionist one.

She wants to implement a "Buy French" policy for public tenders, cut the minimum retirement age to 60 for those who started work before 20, scrap income tax for those aged under 30 and cut VAT on energy to 5.5 per cent from 20 per cent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/french-elections-macron-faces-le-pen-in-presidential-runoff-470082" hreflang="en">French elections: Macron faces Le Pen in presidential runoff</a>

She would also spend 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion) over 5 years raising hospital workers' salaries and recruiting an extra 10,000 of them. Teachers' salaries would rise 15 per cent over 5 years.

Gilles Ivaldi, a political scientist at Sciences-Po, says her party's economic programme is further to the left than it has been for decades.

Macron:&nbsp;The French leader plans to double down on supply-side reforms he has implemented during his first mandate, with the main plank of his manifesto being an increase in the minimum pension age to 65 from 62.

Macron is also promising to make some welfare benefits conditional on 15-20 hours of training, similar to policies in countries such as the United States or Britain.

Unemployment insurance, which currently guarantees workers up to two-thirds of their salary for two years if they lose their job, would be linked to the strength of the economy.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/french-presidential-election-voting-starts-in-first-round-as-macron-seeks-new-term-469890" hreflang="en">French presidential election: Voting starts in first round as Macron seeks new term</a>

In his attempt to stay true to his "neither left nor right" motto, he has also promised to make benefits automatic for those who qualify instead of requiring would-be recipients to apply.

Europe

Le&nbsp;Pen: Although she has abandoned earlier plans to leave the euro and pay France's debt in newly created francs, Le Pen has nonetheless pledged to cut contributions to European Union coffers. Such a move would put Paris on a collision course with the European Commission and other EU members.

She insists French law should prevail over EU rules, in a challenge to the bloc's top court, and says she wants eventually to replace the EU with a "Europe of nations", though she has yet to spell out what that would look like.

Le Pen would also employ thousands more customs agents to check goods entering France, including from other EU countries, purportedly to fight fraud. Analysts say that would undermine the single market.

Watch |&nbsp;Macron finishes ahead of Marine Le Pen in first round of French presidential elections

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/macron-finishes-ahead-of-marine-le-pen-in-first-round-of-french-presidential-elections-470089/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Macron:&nbsp;The ardent Europhile would continue his push to develop what he calls Europe's "strategic autonomy" in defence, technology, agriculture and energy and reduce the bloc's dependence on other powers.

Over the past five years, Macron has sought to re-orient the EU towards a more protectionist stance, blocking some free-trade deals with other blocs such as Mercosur and creating a mechanism that increases scrutiny of outside takeovers of strategic EU companies.

Macron is also likely to push for more regulation of US&nbsp;tech giants and has said he wanted to create a "European metaverse" to compete with Facebook's.

The western alliance

Le Pen: Le Pen wants to pull France out of the transatlantic military alliance NATO's integrated command, in a challenge to the West's post-Cold War security architecture.

Opponents accuse her of being too close to Moscow. Her party received a bank loan from a Russian bank in 2014 and she was hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin shortly before the 2017 presidential election.

She has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but says Moscow could be an ally again post-war.

In an interview with Reuters, she called herself a "Gaullist", after wartime leader Charles de Gaulle, and said she would pursue a foreign policy at an equal distance from Washington and Moscow.

Asked if she had a message to France's traditional allies, Britain and the United States, she said: "Drop the preconceived ideas you have about me."

Macron: Although Macron ruffled feathers across the trans-Atlantic alliance, notably in eastern Europe and Germany, when he called NATO "brain-dead" in 2019, he has since said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had "jolted it back to life".

He would nonetheless seek to make Europeans less dependent on the US&nbsp;military for security.

Macron has pushed the EU to focus more on the Indo-Pacific and China's rising influence in the region. However, he clashed with Washington, London and Canberra after Australia ditched a massive submarine deal with France.

He has been guarded over whether he would seek to cooperate with the new US-UK-Australia security alliance - dubbed AUKUS - against China or try and persuade the EU to pursue its own independent policy towards Beijing.

The French will decide on April 24 whether to re-elect pro-business centrist President Emmanuel Macron or blow up decades of mainstream consensus in favour of far-right Marine Le Pen.

The French will decide on April 24 whether to re-elect pro-business centrist President Emmanuel Macron or blow up decades of mainstream consensus in favour of far-right Marine Le Pen. Here's what to expect from them on major issues: The Economy Le Pen: The far-right heiress has transformed the former National Front, turning her father's free-market, small-government party into a big-spending, protectionist one. She wants to implement a "Buy French" policy for public tenders, cut the minimum retirement age to 60 for those who started work before 20, scrap income tax for those aged under 30 and cut VAT on energy to 5.5 per cent from 20 per cent. Also read | French elections: Macron faces Le Pen in presidential runoff She would also spend 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion) over 5 years raising hospital workers' salaries and recruiting an extra 10,000 of them. Teachers' salaries would rise 15 per cent over 5 years. Gilles Ivaldi, a political scientist at Sciences-Po, says her party's economic programme is further to the left than it has been for decades. Macron: The French leader plans to double down on supply-side reforms he has implemented during his first mandate, with the main plank of his manifesto being an increase in the minimum pension age to 65 from 62. Macron is also promising to make some welfare benefits conditional on 15-20 hours of training, similar to policies in countries such as the United States or Britain. Unemployment insurance, which currently guarantees workers up to two-thirds of their salary for two years if they lose their job, would be linked to the strength of the economy. Also read | French presidential election: Voting starts in first round as Macron seeks new term In his attempt to stay true to his "neither left nor right" motto, he has also promised to make benefits automatic for those who qualify instead of requiring would-be recipients to apply. Europe Le Pen: Although she has abandoned earlier plans to leave the euro and pay France's debt in newly created francs, Le Pen has nonetheless pledged to cut contributions to European Union coffers. Such a move would put Paris on a collision course with the European Commission and other EU members. She insists French law should prevail over EU rules, in a challenge to the bloc's top court, and says she wants eventually to replace the EU with a "Europe of nations", though she has yet to spell out what that would look like. Le Pen would also employ thousands more customs agents to check goods entering France, including from other EU countries, purportedly to fight fraud. Analysts say that would undermine the single market. Watch | Macron finishes ahead of Marine Le Pen in first round of French presidential elections Macron: The ardent Europhile would continue his push to develop what he calls Europe's "strategic autonomy" in defence, technology, agriculture and energy and reduce the bloc's dependence on other powers. Over the past five years, Macron has sought to re-orient the EU towards a more protectionist stance, blocking some free-trade deals with other blocs such as Mercosur and creating a mechanism that increases scrutiny of outside takeovers of strategic EU companies. Macron is also likely to push for more regulation of US tech giants and has said he wanted to create a "European metaverse" to compete with Facebook's. The western alliance Le Pen: Le Pen wants to pull France out of the transatlantic military alliance NATO's integrated command, in a challenge to the West's post-Cold War security architecture. Opponents accuse her of being too close to Moscow. Her party received a bank loan from a Russian bank in 2014 and she was hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin shortly before the 2017 presidential election. She has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but says Moscow could be an ally again post-war. In an interview with Reuters, she called herself a "Gaullist", after wartime leader Charles de Gaulle, and said she would pursue a foreign policy at an equal distance from Washington and Moscow. Asked if she had a message to France's traditional allies, Britain and the United States, she said: "Drop the preconceived ideas you have about me." Macron: Although Macron ruffled feathers across the trans-Atlantic alliance, notably in eastern Europe and Germany, when he called NATO "brain-dead" in 2019, he has since said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had "jolted it back to life". He would nonetheless seek to make Europeans less dependent on the US military for security. Macron has pushed the EU to focus more on the Indo-Pacific and China's rising influence in the region. However, he clashed with Washington, London and Canberra after Australia ditched a massive submarine deal with France. He has been guarded over whether he would seek to cooperate with the new US-UK-Australia security alliance - dubbed AUKUS - against China or try and persuade the EU to pursue its own independent policy towards Beijing.

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