Live Feed from France 24:
After an extraordinary election campaign full of twists and turns, Emmanuel Macron won dramatic victory over Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, taking 65% of the vote, with Le Pen collecting roughly 35%, according to early estimate from four separate French pollsters. Macron, 39, will become the youngest president of France’s Fifth Republic.
As BBG notes, the firms sampled real votes as they were being counted and weighted their results to reflect the composition of the French electorate. Their projections were all within 1 percentage point. Indeed, all early polls all show Macron with at least 65% of the vote:
- Elabe: 65.9%
- Ifop: 65.5%
- Ipsos: 65.1%
- Kantar: 65.0%
#Presidentielle2017 Estimation @IpsosFrance / @SopraSteria_fr du vainqueur à la Présidentielle :
E. MACRON : 65,1% – M. LE PEN : 34,9% pic.twitter.com/k8p8W5lEFx— Ipsos France (@IpsosFrance) May 7, 2017
Abstention in Sunday’s election was expected to hit 26%, the highest rate since 1969, reflecting a lack of enthusiasm among many voters for the choice on offer.
Moments after the results were announced, Le Pen conceded to Macron in a phone call and vowed to become major force of opposition,
“The French have elected a new president and opted for continuity,†Le Pen told supporters just outside Paris. “I wish him success in the face of great challenges,†she said.
The AFP reports that it has spoken to Macron since the election results. France’s president-elect says “a new page has turned, that of hope and of restored confidenceâ€.Â
The reactions to Macron’s win are coming in fast and hard: French President François Hollande, former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British PM Theresa May are just some of the major political figures and leaders who have been congratulating modern France’s youngest president-elect over the past few minutes.
