Emmanuel Macron, the 39-year-old independent centrist, will face the National Front's Marine Le Pen in the run-off for the French presidency, as the country turns away from its established political parties.
In the first round of voting, Macron received 23.9 per cent of the vote, ahead of Le Pen on 21.4 per cent, while embattled former Republican prime minister Francois Fillon received 19.9 per cent and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon finished on 19.6 per cent.
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