French election results - live: Macron win sparks protests, Le Pen ‘won’t give up’
Social media footage shows police using teargas on demonstrators
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Your support makes all the difference.Bitter demonstrations have broken out after Emmanuel Macron was re-elected as president of France on Sunday night.
Police charged and fired teargas at protesters, who took to the streets of Paris, Lyon, Montpellier and Toulouse to protest Mr Macron’s victory, which came despite a rise in popularity for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Footage on social media showed protesters in Montpellier chanting “Ni Marine, Ni Macron,” meaning “neither Marine, nor Macron,” while bins were set aflame in Toulouse.
In Paris, at Place de la République, protesters could be heard comparing Macron to the last King of France, King Louis XVI.
They could be heard saying, in French: “Louis Sixteenth, Louis Sixteenth, we beheaded him, Macron, Macron, we can start again”.
Meanwhile, Ms Le Pen’s 41.5 per cent of the vote signals growing popularity for France’s far-right movement, a result not lost on Ms Le Pen.
“In this defeat, I can’t help but feel a form of hope,” she said. “I will never abandon the French.”
Follow live updates on the French election below
World watches on as France heads to the polls
French voters head to the polls on Sunday, for the second time this month, facing a stark choice between two candidates with far different visions for the country, Europe and the world in a closely watched, high-stakes election with broad ramifications beyond the country’s borders, writes Borzou Daragahi.
Read his reports from Paris here:
France heads to the polls as the world watches on
Macron and Le Pen cast votes
Low turn-out so far
Voter turnout in the run-off election stood at 26.41 per cent at midday local time, the French interior ministry has said.
This is roughly two points down from voting levels five years ago.
Midday turnout up from first round
Although down from the previous election, turnout at midday was higher than in the first round two weeks ago.
The interior ministry says it was 26.41 per cent at 12pm today:
It was below this at the same time in the first round of the 2022 election, when voters had a much larger choice of candidates. Here is a reminder:
Macron thanks ballot workers
Emmanuel Macron has thanked those working on the election today.
“To the thousands of French who allow the ballot to take place: thank you. In the voting offices in our towns and villages, you are the beating heart of our democracy,” he tweeted:
Marine Le Pen ‘calm'
As she voted in northern France today, Marine Le Pen, the far-right challenger, said she was calm and had “confidence in the French”.
There she is voting earlier today:
Macron meets voters in seaside town
Emmanuel Macron has been seen chatting to voters in Le Touquet, a seaside town in northern France, where he cast his ballot today:
Voter turnout in overseas territories already finished voting
Voting is happening on the French mainland today, having already taken place in its overseas territories in the Caribbean and Americas.
Here are the latest voter turnout for some of these:
Former Le Pen aide ‘caught in car going 170km/h on way to vote'
French media is reporting a former top aide to Marine Le Pen was caught in a car speeding while on the way to vote.
The vehicle was reportedly stopped after going 170km/h on a motorway.
According to Le Parisien, Florian Philippot said he was not the one driving and carried on his journey to the polling station by train after being help up by police. “Nothing will prevent me from going to vote against Macron,” he said.
Mr Philippot used to be the vice president of the National Front party - now National Rally - under Ms Le Pen.
It looks like he made it to the polling station after all:
Election day report from international correspondent in Paris
The French are going to the polls today for a closely watched election that holds enormous implications for France, Europe and the world, Bourzou Daghari in Paris writes.
He takes a look at the factors at play - including worries over voter turnout for Emmanuel Macron.
Read his report on election day here:
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