French election

President Emmanuel Macron has beaten far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in the French presidential runoff, pollsters project.

Le Pen argues that the two are expensive and inefficient -- she also says wind turbines have scarred the landscape of the traditional French countryside -- so she wants to scrap subsidies for both. Most candidates in the first round backed the kind of nuclear development Macron has already announced, so there is little divergence on this issue. Just shy of 90% of French people were worried about the war in the last week of March, according to pollster Ifop. Given Le Pen's support for Putin before the war started, this has played in Macron's favor so far. Le Pen says she no longer wishes to exit the EU, but experts say many of her proposed policies would put France on a political collision course with Europe. Macron has proposed a swathe of tax cuts, including on income and real estate. Le Pen has also pushed for several measures to help people cope with rising prices, such as slashing sales taxes on fuel and removing income tax for people younger than 30.

French voters have been going to the polls to vote for the country's next president, with Macron favourite after a fractious campaign.

But they also predicted the lowest turnout for a presidential runoff since 1969, which means a shock Le Pen win cannot be ruled out. Initial estimations of the result are expected from several pollsters at 8pm. Both candidates voted earlier in the day. He also campaigned for a stronger Europe. They are usually very accurate. Mélenchon finished a close third to Le Pen in the first round a fortnight ago and is now focussing his attention on rallying the scattered forces of the French left for the parliamentary elections in June, as my colleague Kim Willsher explains in an article for The Observer today:

Emmanuel Macron will win France's presidential election, pollsters project, fending off a historic challenge from right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen during ...

"You cannot properly defend the interests of France on this subject because your interests are linked to people close to the Russian power" Le Pen's ability to attract new voters since 2017 is the latest indication that the French public are turning to extremist politicians to voice their dissatisfaction with the status quo. This time, however, Macron had to run on a mixed record on domestic issues, like his handling of the yellow vest protests and the Covid-19 pandemic. These projections, which are based on data from voting stations that close at 7 p.m. in the rest of the country, are usually used by the candidates and French media to declare a winner. Still, Le Pen acknowledged the fact that the far right had never performed so well in a presidential election. Macron is projected to take 58.2% of the vote, according to an analysis of voting data by pollsters Ipsos & Sopra Steria conducted for broadcasters France Televisions and Radio, making him the first French leader to be reelected in 20 years.

Emmanuel Macron has held off a challenge from far-right leader Marine Le Pen to retain the French presidency, according to projected results.

While falling short of the Élysée Palace again, in her third presidential run, Le Pen still looks to have secured the most votes ever for a French far-right candidate. Addressing supporters gathered beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Macron thanked those who voted for him whether they did so in support of his ideas or to prevent Le Pen from winning power. He will become the first president since Jacques Chirac two decades ago to secure a second term in office, but must now confront domestic dissatisfaction as well as the effects of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war on the continent. But ultimately Macron, 44, looks to have won a clear victory that surpassed his polling numbers, surging in the final stages to earn five more years at the helm of one of Europe's two major powers. The centrist incumbent is projected to receive between 57 and 58.5 percent of the vote in Sunday's second-round runoff, versus 41.5 to 43 percent for Le Pen, his nationalist rival. Emmanuel Macron has held off a challenge from far-right leader Marine Le Pen to retain the French presidency, according to projected results from French polling agencies.

If Macron's win is confirmed then it would make him the first French president in two decades to win a second term.

If Macron's win is confirmed then it would make him the first French president in two decades to win a second term. But that support dissipated in the days prior to the first round of voting on Apr. 10, as French citizens focused heavily on domestic affairs and soaring inflation. In a two-hour TV debate Wednesday, Macron called out Le Pen's previous ties with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, accusing her of being dependent on Moscow. Turnout on Sunday was 2 percentage points lower than the 2017 election, according to the Interior Ministry. Immediately after the projections, Le Pen spoke to her supporters in Paris and accepted defeat. The 2022 campaign was set against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a cost of living crisis in France, a surge in support for the far-left among younger generations and suggestions of widespread voter apathy.

French President Emmanuel Macron won a second term in a closely watched race against right-wing rival Marine Le Pen, who has conceded.

France's second-round presidential election on Sunday, a contest between incumbent center-right Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, ended ...

With just about 66 percent of the public turning out to vote — a low figure in French elections — the political apathy and distaste for Macron is still clear. Le Pen promised to withdraw French troops from NATO integrated military command if she won the presidency, which at the very least would symbolically weaken the NATO alliance — particularly after five years of Macron’s efforts to secure France’s position in European and international alliances. France cherishes its particular vision of itself as a secular state; its 1958 Constitution states that “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs.” However, building on the 2004 ban on religious clothing in schools, Sarkozy twisted the concept of secularism to suit his own right-wing worldview and advocate for the ban. Macron bested Le Pen by less than five percentage points in the first round this time; in their first matchup in 2017 that gap was even smaller, but Le Pen also received a smaller percentage of the total. Le Pen may have won a greater proportion of voters who previously chose candidates on the left, or who previously voted for Macron himself, because of an overall apathy toward the incumbent. In the first round of the elections on April 10, Macron and Le Pen emerged as the frontrunners after a tumultuous campaign, which saw polling numbers careening wildly in the weeks before the election.

FILE - A torn front page ad shows incubent President Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen as the environmental group Extinction Rebellion takes part ...

In an opinion piece Thursday in several European newspapers, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose him over his nationalist rival. “A great number of the people who are going to vote for Macron, they are not voting for this program, but because they reject Marine Le Pen.” He says that's the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Political analyst Marc Lazar, head of the History Center at Sciences Po, told the AP he thinks that Macron is going to win again. He said he will also keep pushing for a more powerful Europe.

Opinion polls point to Macron as the likely winner but with a much smaller margin than in 2017.

If Macron wins, he will face a difficult second mandate as president. The decisions of left-wing voters will be crucial to the outcome. So the key is to convince undecided voters that the other candidate is worse, which Macron is doing by honing in on fears of the far-right, and Le Pen is doing by banking on voter disenchantment with Macron’s tenure in power.

Women walk past campaign posters of French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (L) and French far-right ...

“She has been among the first if not the only French candidate to recognize Crimea, the annexation of Crimea by Russia. So very, very clearly she will not be in favor of stronger sanctions. And of course a crisis with Brussels, with lots of uncertainties down the road,” Araud told VOA. And like in the U.S., France is facing a wave of inflation.” In order to reach that kind of agreement you would need to find other countries that are like-minded. The more we free ourselves from the Brussels straitjacket while remaining inside the EU, the more we will open ourselves up to the wider world. She has criticized the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine by NATO members and plans to weaken French links with the alliance. “If she is elected, basically it will be quite chaotic. None of us went to seek financing from a Russian bank, and especially not from one that is close to power in Russia.” Her approach to Russia is in stark contrast to that of most Western leaders. We want to reform the E.U. from the inside. What would a Le Pen presidency mean for Europe’s security at a time of conflict? “You don't speak to other leaders, you speak to your banker when you speak to Russia, that's the problem…

When will French election results be announced? Latest polls for Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen before vote. Emmanuel Macron is hoping to become the first ...

The first indication we will have of who will be the President of France for five years will be an exit poll that will be revealed at around 7pm UK time. However, we will have to wait until at least Monday for the result to be officially confirmed - although the country’s Constitutional Council has until Thursday (28 April) to announce the result if it’s a tight race. Emmanuel Macron is hoping to become the first sitting President of France to win a second term in office for 20 years, while Marine Le Pen is aiming to become the country’s first female President. However, while Macron appears to be ahead, there is a big question over how many voters cast a blank vote (i.e. spoil their ballot) or stay at home, given neither were the preferred choice for around 50% of the electorate who voted in the first round. Emmanuel Macron appears to be the favourite to win, with polls giving him a margin of between 6% to 15% over Marine Le Pen. The second round of the French election 2022 is taking place this weekend, with only hours to go until voters head to the ballot box.

It's crunch time for voters in France as incumbent President Emmanuel Macron is meeting Marine Le Pen at the ballot box for Sunday's final presidential ...

She wants companies to increase salaries by 10%, and to raise teachers’ salaries over the next five years. She wants to raise the minimum pension, and end income tax for under-30s. A former economist and banker, Macron has championed startups and promises “full employment.” The jobless rate decreased during his 2017-2022 term to its lowest level in a generation. He wants companies to be able to give employees an untaxed bonus of up to (euro)6,000 and has spent billions capping energy bills. Le Pen has for years cultivated ties with Moscow, receiving a loan of 9 million euros from a Russian bank in 2014 and meeting with Putin in 2017. Macron’s government says it sent 100 million euros in weapons to Ukraine since the Russian invasion and Macron vows to continue this support and “significantly” reinforce European armed forces’ capacities and cooperation.

The U.S. holds a key stake in France's presidential election on Sunday, when voters in one of America's oldest allies will choose between incumbent ...

“That creates mistrust toward the elite and very fertile ground for populist movements.” We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. And while the French largely hold Russia responsible for launching a war in Ukraine, their own wallets have been pinched by Western sanctions on Moscow. “I’m just not going to get ahead of an election in a foreign country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this month. Trump held back an official endorsement at the time but expressed support for her positions. Macron announced his candidacy for president the day before the official campaign deadline and with a “letter to the French.” It created a public perception that Macron viewed a presidential victory as guaranteed and the election as “paperwork,” Belin said. “It’s a very important election for the U.S.,” he added, saying that a Le Pen victory would swap out Macron’s tested and respected leadership on the European and world stage “for a leader that would be one of the least experienced, least respected and the least trusted.” Le Pen has seized on those anxieties as part of her campaign while playing down her historical position as a “largely pro-Russia, pro-Putin, anti-American candidate,” Célia Belin, visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, said during a panel discussion. “Marine Le Pen tried to go more mainstream and direct her message toward blue-collar French voters, and she tries to attract voters who may feel abandoned by the left,” said Laure Pallez, a former adviser for the French government who is active among the French diaspora in the U.S. A Le Pen win would be widely seen as a victory for Russia and a defeat for the United States and NATO. Le Pen is seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has signaled there would be a shift in France’s policies on the Russian war in Ukraine if she is elected. The vote is viewed as a referendum on the close ties Macron has established between France and the rest of Western Europe and the United States and Le Pen’s populist push for a more independent France.

Five years after its last presidential election, France today opens its polling booths with the same two candidates on the ballot paper. Emmanuel Macron, the ...

And the other one will be rueing a missed chance, and wondering if their political career has come to an end. Ms Le Pen and Mr Macron are experienced, time-worn politicians, but their views on what to do with the presidency are very different. By the time Sunday ticks into Monday, one of them will have been given a five-year mandate to run this wealthy, powerful and influential country. In all those areas, there have been notable differences between Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen. Beyond that, new information will be released periodically, updating the overall result. A great deal of attention will be placed on the turnout this time around, with plenty of speculation that voters will stay away because they don't particularly like either candidate.

French citizens are heading to the polls Sunday in a presidential election set against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis.

If Macron is re-elected he will become the first incumbent in two decades to return for a second term. "Each of the two candidates need to try to correct their perceived weakness. Macron told Le Pen during the two-hour talks: "When you speak to Russia, you are speaking to your banker," according to a translation. "Le Pen, this time round, can play the card of change much more than Macron," he said. Back then, Macron crushed Le Pen's party (National Front which has since been rebranded National Rally) with 66.1% of the votes, to 33.9%. The last days of the campaign trail have seen Le Pen's old links with Russia and President Vladimir Putin resurface.

Emmanuel Macron goes into the election with a reasonable lead in polls over Marine Le Pen, after a fractious campaign.

The polling stations close at 7pm this evening in most of mainland France and 8pm in major towns and cities. Mélenchon came a close third with 7.7m votes, just 420,000 short of Le Pen. The candidates for the mainstream right and left both trailed with Valerie Pécresse from the conservative Les Républicains in fifth place and Anne Hidalgo for the Parti Socialiste in 10th place; both polled under 5% meaning they will not have their campaign expenses reimbursed. Macron is favourite to win but any second term will be determined by whether he finishes with a convincing victory.

French voters will choose between two very different visions for their country during Sunday's presidential runoff election, as the centrist President ...

While Macron won 27.8% of the votes in the first round to take the top spot, the results indicated major voter discontent with the status quo. Macron's signature policy during the crisis -- requiring people to show proof of vaccination to go about their lives as normal -- helped increase vaccination rates but fired up a vocal minority against his presidency. Macron's handling of the yellow vest movement The former investment banker and economy minister must defend a mixed political record while also convincing voters that his platform, headlined by major investments in industry and fighting the climate crisis, won't simply mean more of the same. However, she has not abandoned some of her most controversial policies, like banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public. She also performed better in Wednesday's presidential debate

PARIS — Polls have opened in a French presidential election runoff that is being closely followed around the globe for its potential to redefine France's ...

“April 24 is a referendum on the future of France,” Macron told BFM television in a final interview on Friday evening, comparing the stakes — and potential risks of abstentionism — to the 2016 U.S. election and the Brexit vote. Le Pen renamed the party from National Front to National Rally in 2018. It would replace a fervent defender of the E.U. with a longtime critic of the bloc. When Macron faced off against Le Pen five years ago, he beat her by a margin of more 30 percentage points. And, since the surprise success of the Brexit referendum in 2016, few in Europe are willing to count out the unexpected. There’s not nearly the same level of enthusiasm for him as when he first ran in 2017, launching his own centrist political movement and becoming France’s youngest president.

Emmanuel Macron easily defeated the far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the 2017 battle for president, but the race this time around is expected to be much ...

Ms. Le Pen, who wants to bar women from wearing them in public, called them “a uniform imposed by Islamists” that undermined French values of secularism and gender equality. The vote is being closely watched in part because a Le Pen victory, although improbable, appears possible. While she suffered through some difficult moments in the debate, appearing lost on the subject of the ballooning debt France incurred in battling Covid-19, she generally held her own. At a time when revived nationalism had produced Brexit and the Trump presidency, he bet on a strong commitment to the European Union — and swept aside his opponents with an incisive panache. Voters in France are deciding between the same two candidates as the last presidential election: Emmanuel Macron, the president and a polished centrist, and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally party. They openly courted voters on the left after Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a fiery leftist candidate, got 21.95 percent of the vote in the first round. She also tried to woo some supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leftist leader who finished just behind her in the first round, by continuing to promote economic policies that she said would help the working class. In 2017, Mr. Macron won handily with nearly two-thirds of the vote. France’s presidents have formidable powers at their disposal, set much of the country’s agenda and are elected directly by the people to five-year terms in a two-round voting system. On Sunday, a bruising gloves-off battle between Ms. Le Pen and Mr. Macron will come to a head as the French choose their president for a five-year term. It has split into three blocs: the hard-line left, an amorphous center gathered around Mr. Macron and the extreme right of Marine Le Pen. She regularly conflates Islam with violence in a country with the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.

While most countries rely on exit polls to declare elections winners, at the risk of jumping the gun, pollsters in France base their estimates on actual ...

It almost happened after the first round this year as a surge in support for third-man Jean-Luc Mélenchon in urban constituencies saw pollsters rush to adjust their projections after 8pm, bringing him very close to Le Pen’s score. “This means we have to wait for the first polling stations to close at 7pm, whereas exit polls can be worked on throughout the day.” In polling stations sampled by Ipsos and its peers, an official calls the pollster after every 100 ballots counted to report the results. “We also use exit polls in France, for instance to evaluate each candidate’s level of support by age group or profession,” he says. But in what has become a familiar ritual, social media networks will start buzzing hours earlier with rumours of Belgian or Swiss polls claiming to predict the outcome of the election. Unlike in most other democracies, where those projections are based on exit polls, French pollsters base their estimates on ballots that have actually been counted.

French voters to choose between centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

“It’s a stark choice the French face today. They now suggest a Macron victory around the 56-44 percent range. They are seen as Macron’s strong point who did not spare an attack on Le Pen’s close ties to Russia during the presidential debate on April 20.

French President Emmanuel Macron will again face his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, in a runoff election for France's presidency on Sunday.

Le Pen previously spoke out in favor of Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. For some, the former banker-turned-president is the lesser of two evils and a vote for Macron is considered a vote against Le Pen. Still, no one is ruling out the possibility of a triumph for Le Pen. However, she has been likened to former U.S. President Donald Trump with her hard-line policies on Islam and immigration. "She comes across as less extremist than before." Sunday's runoff is a rematch of the 2017 presidential election, in which Macron beat Le Pen by a landslide. Le Pen, 53, has sought to soften her rhetoric and image as the leader of the far-right French political party National Rally. She is no longer directly calling for France to leave the European Union and abandon the euro currency.

PARIS–Millions of French were headed to the polls Sunday for the final round of a presidential election that has laid bare deep divisions among voters ...

To some voters, however, Ms. Le Pen is no longer the bête noire of French politics. She also proposed a ban on the Muslim head scarf in all public places, describing the garb as an instrument of Islamist ideology. Since her 2017 loss, Ms. Le Pen has dropped her opposition to the euro, the EU’s single currency, and focused on pocketbook issues, framing her 2022 campaign as a fight against inflation. France has been targeted with terrorist attacks by assailants who cited cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in French media as their motive. Still, polls indicate that Ms. Le Pen and her party have never been closer to power. Still, she says, Mr. Macron’s “door to immigration is too open.” Ms. Le Pen has said Europe’s decisions have only raised the cost of living for French households, hammering on a source of growing public discontent that has helped her climb in the polls over the past month. She also zeroed in on the impact the war in Ukraine was having on France’s economy, particularly the higher fuel prices that affect working-class commuters. Over the past two weeks Mr. Macron’s lead has begun to widen again, with polls suggesting he is ahead by a margin of between 11 and 15 percentage points. Ms. Le Pen has condemned Russia’s aggression. Mr. Macron zeroed in on such proposals in the final stretch of the election, accusing Ms. Le Pen in the national debate of seeking to foment a civil war in a country that has one of Europe’s largest Muslim minorities. Ms. Le Pen has stuck with a political program, however, that seizes on the anxieties that many voters outside France’s largest cities feel about Islam’s place in French society.