Macron and Le Pen enter second round of French presidential election

Former Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron, a centrist candidate, will face off against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the next round of the French presidential race.

According to AFP, in the first round of voting on April 23, Mr. Macron won 23.9% of the votes, slightly higher than Ms. Le Pen's 21.7%. The two will participate in the next round of voting on May 7.

Ms. Marine Le Pen and Mr. Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Reuters.

“I want to be a president of patriots against the threat of nationalists,” Mr Macron told thousands of supporters in the capital Paris.

If he wins, Macron, 39, will be the youngest president in French history. Immediately after the end of the first round of voting, Mr. Macron received support from two candidates from the Socialist and Republican parties, Benoit Hamon (expected to receive 6% of the vote) and former Prime Minister Francois Fillon (expected to receive 20%).

Meanwhile, Ms. Le Pen declared that the second round would be a battle for the future of France. Her views on taking France out of the European Union (EU) and strengthening its borders are opposite to Mr. Macron's.

Preliminary results show that France's traditional parties have suffered a crushing defeat in this election. This is the first time in six decades that no candidate from France's Republican and Socialist parties has made it to the second round.

According to Zing.vn