French election: Emmanual Macron leads Marine Le Pen in presidential battle
Despite entering the campaign late and holding only one rally before the vote, Macron appears to be in front by more than expected French President Emmanuel Macron was on course to beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of France’s elections on Sunday by a margin larger than expected. Projections showed Mr Macron scoring 28.6 to 29.7 per cent in the first round and Ms Le Pen on 23.5 to 24.7 per cent, setting them up for a second round run-off on April 24. Despite entering the campaign late and holding only one rally before the vote , Mr Macron appears to have performed more strongly than predicted by pre-vote opinion polls and won immediate support from defeated rivals for the second round. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was predicted to come third with 19.8 to 20.8 per cent, while the candidates for France’s traditional parties of government, the Socialists and the Republicans, were on course for humiliating defeats and historic low tallies....