French President Emmanuel Macron will face off with Marine Le Pen in a runoff.
Macron was projected to secure 28% of the vote, according to projections from the French polling firm Ipsos Sopra Steria. Le Pen is in second place with 23.2% of the vote, while Democratic Socialist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon received 21.7%.
Twelve candidates were on the Sunday ballot, and the two top competitors get to face off in the round runoff set for April 24.
An estimated 48.7 million voters were called to the polls for this vote, according to France 24. An estimated 65% of registered voters had cast a ballot in the election by 5 p.m. local time.
The runoff resembles the 2017 presidential election, in which Le Pen and Macron also faced off. Macron defeated Le Pen 66.06% to 33.94%, becoming France’s youngest-ever president at the age of 39. Le Pen is a far-right member of the National Assembly.
Though Macron is considered the favorite, Le Pen polls at 49% when facing off in a one-on-one election, according to a YouGov and Datapraxis poll published Friday.
Le Pen has endeavored to stand out from her centrist competitor by emphasizing several policies that support a “French First” approach, including strict limits on immigration, a ban on the Muslim headscarf in public places, and an active effort to disentangle France from international commitments.
Reporting from The Washington Examiner.
