Predictions from polls show President Emmanuel Macron won 28.4% of the first round of votes, up from 24.2% for Le Pen. French left-wing leader Jean- Luc Melenchon is unconquered in third place, with about 21%, while anti-immigration far-right candidate Eric Zemmour is fourth with 7%.
12 candidates will compete in the first round. If neither of them receives more than 50% of the votes, the two leaders will face each other in the second round on April 24. Up to now, no French presidential candidate has won in the first round according to the current election system.
The one-day election on April 10 was marked by voters' indifference, according to Ifop-Fiducial. The estimated turnout of voters is 73.3%, the lowest in the first round in 20 years. Although Mr. Macron was expected to win the first round, he was a Polar figure with a declining confidence rate in his first term.
Mr. Macron called on voters to vote for the second round in a speech after polling stations closed.
"Nothing is resolved and the debate we will have in the next 15 days will be the decision for our country and our Europe," CNN quoted Mr. Macron as saying. "I do not want a France to have a single ally, which is pop members and international cardamomers. That's not us. I want a France loyal to humanism, to enlightenment," Macron said.
Macron is seeking to become the first French president to be re-elected since former President Jacques Chirac in 2002. While polls have given him a consistent advantage, the race has become narrow in the past month.
Le Pen's support has steadily increased in recent weeks. Although famous for her far-right policies such as strongly restricting immigrants and banning Hoi giao headgeards in public places, during this time, Ms. Le Pen has carried out a more legitimate campaign, a more dovish tone and focused more on budget issues such as rising living expenses - a top concern of French voters.
In a speech on April 10, Ms. Le Pen pledged to become a president for "all French people" if she won the second round, and called on those who did not vote for Mr. Macron to support her in the second round.
