- Far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron qualify to the second round.
- Anti-fascist protesters held demonstrations in Paris ahead of Le Pen’s rally.
- Violence broke out between protestors and riot police.
- European Union chief Jean-Claude Juncker wishes Macron luck for the next polling phase.
- The second round of polling will be held on 7 May.
European Union Congratulates Macron
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron as he emerged the clear favourite in projected results after the first round of France's presidential election.
Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg, also wished Macron "good luck" in the 7 May second round of voting, when he will face far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, according to the projections.
"@JunckerEU congratulated @EmmanuelMacron for his result in the first round and wished him good luck for the next," according to Juncker's tweet yesterday, which he sent in French.
Other EU officials also welcomed Macron's strong showing.
Many officials in Brussels had privately expressed concerns about Le Pen, a eurosceptic who has taken a hard line on immigration.
Michel Barnier, the European Commission's chief negotiator on Britain's withdrawal from the EU, hinted at concerns that Le Pen could lead France away from the 28-nation bloc.
Huge Defeat for Centre-Right and Centre-Left
Sunday's outcome is a huge defeat for the two centre-right and centre-left groupings that have dominated French politics for 60 years, and also reduces the prospect of an anti-establishment shock on the scale of Britain's vote last June to quit the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Euro Scales Five Month Peak on French Election Relief
The Euro vaulted to five-month peaks in choppy Asian trading on Monday after the market's favoured candidate won through the first round of the French election, sparking a mass unwinding of safe-haven trades.
The outcome lessens the risk of an anti-establishment shock on the scale of Britain's vote to quit the European Union with Macron widely tipped to win the final vote and keep France in the union.
Macron Leading After Counting of 40 Mn Votes
Macron was leading with 23/54 per cent with Marie Le Pen shortly behind with a 22.33 per cent after 40 million votes were counted.