French election: Emmanuel Macron to face Marine Le Pen in second round, projections say

Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French election, according to projections released after the first round of voting.

President Macron has topped voting in this first round with a comfortable lead of between 27-29 percent support, ahead of Marine Le Pen who is predicted to capture 23-24 percent of the vote.

Polling done by Ipsos/Sopra Steria put Macron’s voting share at 28.1 percent, and Le Pen’s at 23.3 percent.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon finished third on 20.1 percent in their predictions.

The April 24 run-off will pit the incumbent president against the nationalist Le Pen, who has used anger over rising inflation to boost her populist message.

One of the more moderate candidates on the French right, Valérie Pécresse, had a terrible night – with her vote share predicted to be around 5 percent.

Official results are expected later on Sunday night.

French centre-left candidate Anne Hidalgo, who did not qualify for the second round of the presidential election, endorsed Emmanuel Macron for the run-off vote “so that France does not fall into hatred of all against all.”

She added: “I solemnly call on you to vote on April 24 against the far-right of Marine Le Pen.”

More to follow…

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