Macron likely to win face-off with Le Pen for French presidency

FAR right National Front leader Marine Le Pen and independent, centrist Emmanuel Macron won through the first round French presidential election on Sunday after a remarkable contest. The result is the first time in the country's modern history that neither of the parties of mainstream centre-right, Republicans, or centre-left, Socialists, that have governed since the World War II, have qualified for the second round of a presidential election.

Ms Le Pen and Mr Macron will go head-to-head on May 7, in the finale of the extraordinary contest, with Mr Macron - who has never held elected office - the clear favourite to replace Francois Hollande in the Elysee Palace. Republicans' candidate Francois Fillon and left-wing veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon, who was backed by the Communist Party, finished third and fourth. The Socialists' presidential candidate Benoit Hamon trailed badly in fifth place.

In a historic election season, Mr Hollande - the least popular president since records began - decided last year not to seek re-election, the first incumbent not to do so since the Fifth Republic was created in 1958. Momentum in the race has oscillated since between four contenders who were part of an eleven-strong field in a race that Socialist Mr Hollande said "smells bad" with "simplications and falsifications" marked by anti-establishment anger.