French Election News: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen to fight for presidency.
Centrist Emmanuel Macron has gone through to the second round of the French election, where he will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Mr Macron, a former banker, is seen as a political newcomer – and ran without the backing of an established party.
After topping Sunday’s vote, he is now favourite to win the run-off on 7 May.
It is the first time in six decades that neither of France’s main left-wing or right-wing parties has had a candidate in the second round.
How tight is the race?
Mr Macron won 23.8% of votes in the first round, while Ms Le Pen took 21.5%. The turnout was high, at almost 79%.
The nearest challengers, centre-right François Fillon and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, fell behind with just over 19% each.
But several political rivals are now expected to unite behind Mr Macron in the run-off vote, in a bid to keep Ms Le Pen’s Front National (FN) from power.
What does Mr Macron stand for?
At 39, Mr Macron could become the youngest president France has ever had – and the first president in the Fifth Republic who does not belong to a major party.
He secured 8.4 million votes – more than any other candidate – in the first round.
Mr Macron was current President Francois Hollande’s economy minister but quit to create his own party, En Marche, which pushes a liberal, pro-EU agenda.
His campaign promises include:
- A €50bn (£43bn; $53bn) public investment plan to cover job-training, exit from coal and shift to renewable energy, infrastructure and modernisation
- Big cut in corporation tax and more leeway for companies to renegotiate 35-hour working week
- Cut in jobless rate to 7% (now 9.7%)
- Ban on mobile phone use in schools for under-15s and a €500 culture pass for 18 year olds
In a victory speech to supporters, Mr Macron borrowed language favoured by his rival to describe himself as the patriotic choice for France.
“I hope that in a fortnight I will become your president. I want to become the president of all the people of France – the president of the patriots in the face of the threat from the nationalists,” he said.
What about Ms Le Pen?
Ms Le Pen took over the FN leadership from her father in January 2011 and helped her party secure big gains in regional elections.
She won 7.6 million votes on Sunday – the strongest ever result for a FN candidate, and 2.8 million more than her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, won for the FN in 2002.
Her party wants to slash immigration, clamp down on free trade, and overturn France’s relationship with Europe.
Her campaign has called for:
- Negotiation with Brussels on a new EU, followed by a referendum
- “Automatic” expulsion of illegal immigrants and legal immigration cut to 10,000 per year following an immediate total moratorium
- “Extremist” mosques closed and priority to French nationals in social housing
- Retirement age fixed at 60 and 35-hour week assured
Following the first round results, Ms Le Pen made an “appeal to all patriots”, saying a vote for her was the key to the “survival of France”.
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