French President Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen in the second round of the country's presidential election, planning a repeat of their 2017 presidential election campaign.
Centrist Macron and Le Pen, a longtime member of France's right-wing party, became the top two candidates in the first round of voting on Sunday, receiving 27.8% and 23.2% of the vote respectively, according to the French Interior. Service.
Twelve people entered the top job. As neither of them received more than 50% of the votes in the first round, the top two will face each other in the April 24 tournament.
The first round of the 2022 competition was marked by voter negligence, an estimated 73.3%, according to Ifop-Fiducial audits by French broadcasters TF1 and LCI - the lowest in the first round in 20 years.
Although Macron received more votes than any other candidate in the first round, he is a separatist who has reduced his chances of winning.
In his speech after the close of voting on Sunday, he urged residents to vote in the second round.
"Nothing has been resolved and the issue we will have in the next 15 days is final in our country and in Europe," he said. "I do not want France, when it leaves Europe, to have its partners only international people and xenophobes. That is not us. I want a France that is faithful to humanity, in the spirit of light," he said.
Macron wants to be the first French president to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. Voting has given him a consistent chance across the arena, but the race was very tight last month.
Although Macron received more votes than any other candidate in the first round, he is a separatist who has reduced his chances of winning.
In his speech after the close of voting on Sunday, he urged residents to vote in the second round.
"Nothing has been resolved and the issue we will have in the next 15 days is final in our country and in Europe," he said. "I do not want France, when it leaves Europe, to have its partners only international people and xenophobes. That is not us. I want a France that is faithful to humanity, in the spirit of light," he said.
Macron wants to be the first French president to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. Voting has given him a consistent chance across the arena, but the race was very tight last month.
Ifop-Fiducial voting released on Sunday indicated that Macron would win the second round against Le Pen by 51% to 49%.
Le Pen support has steadily increased in recent weeks. Although he is best known for his far-right policies such as strict immigration and banning Muslim handkerchiefs in public places, he has run a general campaign on this, softening his tongue and focusing more on pocketbook issues such as rising living costs. , high concern for French voters.
In his speech on Sunday, Le Pen vowed to become president of "all French" if he won the second round, and called on those who did not vote for Macron to support him in the second round.
Marine Le Pen speaks to her supporters Sunday after the first round of the French presidential election.
Marine Le Pen speaks to her supporters Sunday after the first round of the French presidential election.
Left-back Jean-Luc Melenchon came third, with 22% of the vote. He enjoyed the late support and was considered a potential black horse player to challenge Macron.
Who Melenchon voters who choose to run in the second round can decide on the presidency, experts say. Melenchon told her supporters "we must not give a single vote to Mrs. Le Pen," but did not explicitly support Macron.
No other candidate received more than 10% of the vote. Right-wing political analyst Eric Zemmour, who has been elected to the presidency, who enjoyed a seat among the top three until March, according to the IFop vote, came in fourth with 7.1%.
Some candidates on Sunday have quickly begun to contribute to the top two. While Zemmour asked his fans to vote for Le Pen, some urged their fans to crown him.
Candidates from traditional left-wing and right-wing groups, Socialists and Republicans, already support Macron.
Socialist Anne Hidalgo said Le Pen's victory would instill in France "everyone's hatred against everyone," while Republican Valerie Pecresse said she was genuinely concerned about the country because "a distant right has never been so close to victory."
"The Marine Le Pen program will open up France to fragmentation, powerlessness, and collapse," Pecresse said.
A woman is voting for the first round of the French presidential election in Lyon, central France, on Sunday.
A woman is voting for the first round of the French presidential election in Lyon, central France, on Sunday.
Game restart
Macron's rise to politics has disrupted the arena, as his highly regarded political party has ousted supporters of traditional groups, Socialists and Republicans. Both candidates voted for less than 5% on Sunday.
Pre-race testing showed that the second round of Macron vs. This Pen has been the most likely result. Macron slammed Le Pen five years ago, but experts say the second match between the two will be more difficult than the 2017 race.
Macron is no longer a political startup and must work with a mixed record. Although his ambition to strengthen European Union independence and the geopolitical heft has earned him international and domestic recognition, he remains a divisive figure when it comes to domestic policies. His handling of the yellow vest movement, one of France's longest-running protests, was heavily focused, and his record of the Covid-19 epidemic is inclusive.