Pro-European Emmanuel Macron is set to face far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France&#39;s presidential run-off, results showed Sunday, making him clear favourite to emerge as the country&#39;s youngest leader in its history.

Macron topped Sunday&#39;s first round with 23.7 percent of votes, slightly ahead of National Front (FN) leader Le Pen with 21.9 percent, according to near-final results from the interior ministry.

They will contest the run-off on May 7.

&quot;For months and again today I&#39;ve heard the doubts, the anger and the fears of the French people. Their desire for change too,&quot; 39-year-old Macron told thousands of cheering supporters in Paris.

He pledged to unite &quot;patriots&quot; behind his agenda to renew French politics and modernise the country against Le Pen and &quot;the threat of nationalists&quot;.

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<h5>Macron pledged to unite &#39;patriots&#39; behind his agenda to renew French politics and modernise the country against Le Pen and &#39;the threat of nationalists&#39;</h5>
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The euro rose sharply against the dollar as fears of France pulling out of the single currency and European Union receded following the breakthrough of Macron, former economy minister under outgoing Socialist President Francois Hollande.&nbsp;

An ex-investment banker whose marriage to his former school teacher has fascinated France, Macron said the results were a clear rejection of traditional parties.

Neither candidate from the mainstream Republicans and Socialists made it through to the second round for the first time in six decades in a stunning shakeup of national politics.

&quot;The challenge is to break completely with the system which has been unable to find solutions to the problems of our country for more than 30 years,&quot; Macron said, already eyeing crucial parliamentary elections in June.

The outcome capped an extraordinary campaign in a deeply divided and demoralised France, which has been hit by a series of terror attacks since 2015 and remains stuck with low economic growth.&nbsp;

Le Pen hailed a &quot;historic vote&quot; in front of her supporters, adding: &quot;The first stage has been passed.&quot;

Macron, who had never before stood for election and only started his grassroots centrist movement 12 months ago, will go into the run-off as the clear frontrunner.

New polls released Sunday evening showed pro-business Macron easily beating Le Pen, who has hardened her anti-immigration and anti-Europe rhetoric over the last week.

The French vote was being closely watched as a bellwether for populist sentiment following the election of Donald Trump as US President and Britain&#39;s vote to leave the EU.

Throughout the campaign, Macron insisted France was &quot;contrarian&quot; -- ready to elect a pro-globalisation liberal at a time when rightwing nationalists are making gains around the world.

&quot;It&#39;s a victory for openness, social-mindedness,&quot; Macron supporter Marie-Helene Visconti, a 60-year-old artist, told AFP at his election party where the EU flag was waved alongside the French tricolore.

Le Pen follows father 
Le Pen follows in the footsteps of her father Jean-Marie, who made it through to the 2002 presidential run-off in what came as a political earthquake for France.

Le Pen Senior went on to suffer a stinging defeat when mainstream parties closed ranks to keep him out.

Though Le Pen came in behind Macron, there was joy at the FN&#39;s election party in Henin-Beaumont, a former coal mining town in northern France, with outbursts of the Marseillaise national anthem.

Le Pen said the second round would be a battle over France&#39;s future, with her vision of a France out of the EU and behind reinforced borders radically different from her opponent&#39;s.

&quot;The major issue of this election is runaway globalisation, which is putting our civilisation in danger,&quot; she told supporters.&nbsp;

&quot;Either we continue on the path of complete deregulation, with no borders and no protection... mass immigration and free movement of terrorists... or you choose France,&quot; she added.&nbsp;

Far-right expert Nonna Mayer at Sciences Po university said a Le Pen victory was not impossible, &quot;but it seems unlikely that she will carry the second round&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;If she wins, it will obviously be an anti-Europe, protectionist, exclusionist line that wins and which could have troubling consequences for Europe and France,&quot; she added.

Despite Macron&#39;s plans to &quot;relaunch the building of Europe&quot;, the combined scores of staunch eurosceptics Le Pen, far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon and nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan add up to nearly 50 percent.&nbsp;

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday congratulated Macron and wished him &quot;good luck&quot;.&nbsp;

Macron endorsements 
Macron also drew immediate support from his defeated rivals from the Socialists and Republicans.

Socialist Benoit Hamon, projected to win a humiliating six percent, said the left had suffered a &quot;historic drubbing&quot; but urged voters to keep out Le Pen who he said was &quot;an enemy of the republic&quot;.&nbsp;

Scandal-hit Republicans candidate Francois Fillon followed suit, saying: &quot;There is no other choice than voting against the far-right.&quot;

Fillon was seen as a favourite until January when his campaign was torpedoed by allegations that he gave his British-born wife a fictitious job as his parliamentary assistant.

He was on course Sunday to score 20 percent.

The former prime minister has accused Hollande of being behind a campaign to destabilise him and said in a concession speech the obstacles he had faced were &quot;too numerous, too cruel&quot;.

Support for Communist-backed Melenchon, meanwhile, had surged in recent weeks on the back of assured performances in two televised debates.

He was on course for around 19.2 percent of the vote, underlining the strength of anti-establishment sentiment.

High security

The vote took place under heavy security after Thursday&#39;s killing of a policeman on Paris&#39;s Champs-Elysees avenue claimed by the Islamic State group.

With France still under the state of emergency imposed after the Paris attacks of November 2015, around 50,000 police and 7,000 soldiers were deployed to guard voters.

Thursday&#39;s shooting was the latest in a bloody series of attacks that have cost more than 230 lives since 2015.

Nearly 47 million people were eligible to vote in the eurozone&#39;s second biggest economy and turnout was forecast to be high at around 80 percent. The results will be seen as a credit to French pollsters, who successfully forecast the results.

(AFP)

The centrist Macron topped Sunday's first round with 23.7% of votes, slightly ahead of the far-right Le Pen with 21.9%

Pro-European Emmanuel Macron is set to face far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential run-off, results showed Sunday, making him clear favourite to emerge as the country's youngest leader in its history. Macron topped Sunday's first round with 23.7 percent of votes, slightly ahead of National Front (FN) leader Le Pen with 21.9 percent, according to near-final results from the interior ministry. They will contest the run-off on May 7. "For months and again today I've heard the doubts, the anger and the fears of the French people. Their desire for change too," 39-year-old Macron told thousands of cheering supporters in Paris. He pledged to unite "patriots" behind his agenda to renew French politics and modernise the country against Le Pen and "the threat of nationalists". Macron pledged to unite 'patriots' behind his agenda to renew French politics and modernise the country against Le Pen and 'the threat of nationalists' × The euro rose sharply against the dollar as fears of France pulling out of the single currency and European Union receded following the breakthrough of Macron, former economy minister under outgoing Socialist President Francois Hollande. An ex-investment banker whose marriage to his former school teacher has fascinated France, Macron said the results were a clear rejection of traditional parties. Neither candidate from the mainstream Republicans and Socialists made it through to the second round for the first time in six decades in a stunning shakeup of national politics. "The challenge is to break completely with the system which has been unable to find solutions to the problems of our country for more than 30 years," Macron said, already eyeing crucial parliamentary elections in June. The outcome capped an extraordinary campaign in a deeply divided and demoralised France, which has been hit by a series of terror attacks since 2015 and remains stuck with low economic growth. Le Pen hailed a "historic vote" in front of her supporters, adding: "The first stage has been passed." Macron, who had never before stood for election and only started his grassroots centrist movement 12 months ago, will go into the run-off as the clear frontrunner. New polls released Sunday evening showed pro-business Macron easily beating Le Pen, who has hardened her anti-immigration and anti-Europe rhetoric over the last week. The French vote was being closely watched as a bellwether for populist sentiment following the election of Donald Trump as US President and Britain's vote to leave the EU. Throughout the campaign, Macron insisted France was "contrarian" -- ready to elect a pro-globalisation liberal at a time when rightwing nationalists are making gains around the world. "It's a victory for openness, social-mindedness," Macron supporter Marie-Helene Visconti, a 60-year-old artist, told AFP at his election party where the EU flag was waved alongside the French tricolore. Le Pen follows father Le Pen follows in the footsteps of her father Jean-Marie, who made it through to the 2002 presidential run-off in what came as a political earthquake for France. Le Pen Senior went on to suffer a stinging defeat when mainstream parties closed ranks to keep him out. Though Le Pen came in behind Macron, there was joy at the FN's election party in Henin-Beaumont, a former coal mining town in northern France, with outbursts of the Marseillaise national anthem. Le Pen said the second round would be a battle over France's future, with her vision of a France out of the EU and behind reinforced borders radically different from her opponent's. "The major issue of this election is runaway globalisation, which is putting our civilisation in danger," she told supporters. "Either we continue on the path of complete deregulation, with no borders and no protection... mass immigration and free movement of terrorists... or you choose France," she added. Far-right expert Nonna Mayer at Sciences Po university said a Le Pen victory was not impossible, "but it seems unlikely that she will carry the second round". "If she wins, it will obviously be an anti-Europe, protectionist, exclusionist line that wins and which could have troubling consequences for Europe and France," she added. Despite Macron's plans to "relaunch the building of Europe", the combined scores of staunch eurosceptics Le Pen, far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon and nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan add up to nearly 50 percent. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday congratulated Macron and wished him "good luck". Macron endorsements Macron also drew immediate support from his defeated rivals from the Socialists and Republicans. Socialist Benoit Hamon, projected to win a humiliating six percent, said the left had suffered a "historic drubbing" but urged voters to keep out Le Pen who he said was "an enemy of the republic". Scandal-hit Republicans candidate Francois Fillon followed suit, saying: "There is no other choice than voting against the far-right." Fillon was seen as a favourite until January when his campaign was torpedoed by allegations that he gave his British-born wife a fictitious job as his parliamentary assistant. He was on course Sunday to score 20 percent. The former prime minister has accused Hollande of being behind a campaign to destabilise him and said in a concession speech the obstacles he had faced were "too numerous, too cruel". Support for Communist-backed Melenchon, meanwhile, had surged in recent weeks on the back of assured performances in two televised debates. He was on course for around 19.2 percent of the vote, underlining the strength of anti-establishment sentiment. High security The vote took place under heavy security after Thursday's killing of a policeman on Paris's Champs-Elysees avenue claimed by the Islamic State group. With France still under the state of emergency imposed after the Paris attacks of November 2015, around 50,000 police and 7,000 soldiers were deployed to guard voters. Thursday's shooting was the latest in a bloody series of attacks that have cost more than 230 lives since 2015. Nearly 47 million people were eligible to vote in the eurozone's second biggest economy and turnout was forecast to be high at around 80 percent. The results will be seen as a credit to French pollsters, who successfully forecast the results. (AFP)

French election: Macron, Le Pen to contest May 7 run-off

Two of the outside contenders in France&#39;s presidential election, Francois Fillon and Jean-Luc Melenchon, whipped up support with mass rallies on Sunday, seeking a last-gasp boost ahead of an increasingly tight first voting round.

For weeks, polls have shown centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen on track to top the first round of voting on April 23 and go through to a May 7 runoff.

But recent polls have shown the race tightening as the front-runners faltered and far-left maverick Melenchon surged after strong performances in two televised candidates&#39; debates.

A Kantar Sofres poll for media organisations Le Figaro, LCI and RTL showed Macron and Le Pen tied on 24 per cent in the first round, with Melenchon taking third place for the first time on 18 per cent, up six points since mid-March.

That put him a point ahead of conservative candidate Fillon, whose campaign has struggled as he seeks to defend himself from nepotism allegations.

Speaking at a big rally in the southern port city of Marseille, veteran Communist-backed candidate Melenchon sounded full of confidence.

&quot;We can hear it. We can feel it. Victory is within our reach,&quot; said Melenchon, who aims to take France out of NATO and also hold a referendum on EU membership.

Organisers said 70,000 people gathered in Marseille&#39;s Old Port district to hear Melenchon.

Fillon too is still hoping for an upset.

&quot;There is still everything to play for. The days ahead of us will be decisive,&quot; Fillon told cheering supporters waving the blue, white and red national flag at a show of strength in Paris, which according to organisers drew over 20,000 people.

There were no independent estimates of the crowd sizes.

Fillon, 63, was an early frontrunner to win the election but his bid faltered following allegations that he had paid his wife and two of his five children hundreds of thousands of euros of public money for minimal work. He denies any wrongdoing.

&quot;I&#39;m not asking you to like me. I&#39;m asking you to back me, because this is about what&#39;s best for France,&quot; Fillon said.

With one in three French voters still undecided, there is a chance of a first-round surprise.

Even some of Fillon&#39;s supporters admit the campaign has been nerve-racking, though many at the Paris meeting said they didn&#39;t trust the polls.

&quot;There were moments when we were really worried,&quot; said Raymond Spreder, 72, a retired builder from the Vosges region who has travelled to several rallies with his wife.

&quot;But he&#39;s done well considering everything that&#39;s been thrown at him. He&#39;s the most solid candidate, it&#39;s his policies that we like,&quot; he said.

Melenchon, a former Trotskyist, was a wildcard until his spirited performances in two televised debates strengthened his campaign and helped him leech support from the Socialist candidate, Benoit Hamon.

In the 2012 presidential election, Melenchon&#39;s insurgent campaign and firebrand style also drew crowds and favourable opinion in polls, but he fell short in the end with 11 per cent of the vote.

Macron, a pro-European former economy minister, aims to transcend the traditional left-right divide in French politics and reduce public spending and taxes.

If he reaches the second round, all polls predict he would easily beat Le Pen, whose plans to ditch the euro and hold a referendum on EU membership have spooked many investors.

(Reuters)

'We can hear it. We can feel it. Victory is within our reach,' said Melenchon, who aims to remove France from NATO and hold an EU referendum

Two of the outside contenders in France's presidential election, Francois Fillon and Jean-Luc Melenchon, whipped up support with mass rallies on Sunday, seeking a last-gasp boost ahead of an increasingly tight first voting round. For weeks, polls have shown centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen on track to top the first round of voting on April 23 and go through to a May 7 runoff. But recent polls have shown the race tightening as the front-runners faltered and far-left maverick Melenchon surged after strong performances in two televised candidates' debates. A Kantar Sofres poll for media organisations Le Figaro, LCI and RTL showed Macron and Le Pen tied on 24 per cent in the first round, with Melenchon taking third place for the first time on 18 per cent, up six points since mid-March. That put him a point ahead of conservative candidate Fillon, whose campaign has struggled as he seeks to defend himself from nepotism allegations. Speaking at a big rally in the southern port city of Marseille, veteran Communist-backed candidate Melenchon sounded full of confidence. "We can hear it. We can feel it. Victory is within our reach," said Melenchon, who aims to take France out of NATO and also hold a referendum on EU membership. Organisers said 70,000 people gathered in Marseille's Old Port district to hear Melenchon. Fillon too is still hoping for an upset. "There is still everything to play for. The days ahead of us will be decisive," Fillon told cheering supporters waving the blue, white and red national flag at a show of strength in Paris, which according to organisers drew over 20,000 people. There were no independent estimates of the crowd sizes. Fillon, 63, was an early frontrunner to win the election but his bid faltered following allegations that he had paid his wife and two of his five children hundreds of thousands of euros of public money for minimal work. He denies any wrongdoing. "I'm not asking you to like me. I'm asking you to back me, because this is about what's best for France," Fillon said. With one in three French voters still undecided, there is a chance of a first-round surprise. Even some of Fillon's supporters admit the campaign has been nerve-racking, though many at the Paris meeting said they didn't trust the polls. "There were moments when we were really worried," said Raymond Spreder, 72, a retired builder from the Vosges region who has travelled to several rallies with his wife. "But he's done well considering everything that's been thrown at him. He's the most solid candidate, it's his policies that we like," he said. Melenchon, a former Trotskyist, was a wildcard until his spirited performances in two televised debates strengthened his campaign and helped him leech support from the Socialist candidate, Benoit Hamon. In the 2012 presidential election, Melenchon's insurgent campaign and firebrand style also drew crowds and favourable opinion in polls, but he fell short in the end with 11 per cent of the vote. Macron, a pro-European former economy minister, aims to transcend the traditional left-right divide in French politics and reduce public spending and taxes. If he reaches the second round, all polls predict he would easily beat Le Pen, whose plans to ditch the euro and hold a referendum on EU membership have spooked many investors. (Reuters)

Fillon, Melenchon seek last-gasp boost in French presidential election

Firebrand leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon was found the most convincing performer by French viewers of Tuesday night&#39;s televised debate among the 11 candidates running in this month&#39;s presidential election, a snap poll showed.

The poll by Elabe for BFM TV said Melenchon had managed to convince 25 per cent of those who had watched the four-hour long debate. Some 21 per cent found centrist Emmanuel Macron as the most convincing, the second best score.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen came in fourth behind conservative Francois Fillon, with 11 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

However, Macron was seen in the same poll as having the best program of all the candidates by 23 per cent of viewers, followed by Melenchon with 22 per cent and Fillon with 18 per cent.

The two leading candidates, Macron and Le Pen, clashed sharply over Europe during the debate.

Voting in the first round of the election is set for April 23 with a runoff between the two leading candidates on May 7.

(Reuters)

Jean-Luc Melenchon managed to convince 25% of the viewers, followed by Macron, Fillon and Le Pen

Firebrand leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon was found the most convincing performer by French viewers of Tuesday night's televised debate among the 11 candidates running in this month's presidential election, a snap poll showed. The poll by Elabe for BFM TV said Melenchon had managed to convince 25 per cent of those who had watched the four-hour long debate. Some 21 per cent found centrist Emmanuel Macron as the most convincing, the second best score. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen came in fourth behind conservative Francois Fillon, with 11 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. However, Macron was seen in the same poll as having the best program of all the candidates by 23 per cent of viewers, followed by Melenchon with 22 per cent and Fillon with 18 per cent. The two leading candidates, Macron and Le Pen, clashed sharply over Europe during the debate. Voting in the first round of the election is set for April 23 with a runoff between the two leading candidates on May 7. (Reuters)

French election: Leftist Melenchon most convincing in live TV debate

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