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French voters snub political establishment

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff/AAP,
Publish Date
Tue, 25 Apr 2017, 9:49AM
Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron got nearly 1 million more votes than far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a result that's upended traditional French politics. (Getty)
Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron got nearly 1 million more votes than far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a result that's upended traditional French politics. (Getty)

French voters snub political establishment

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff/AAP,
Publish Date
Tue, 25 Apr 2017, 9:49AM

Voters in France have comprehensively snubbed the country's political establishment, sending far-right populist Marine Le Pen and political novice Emmanuel Macron through to the second round of the presidential election.

Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron got nearly 1 million more votes than far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a result that's upended traditional French politics.

Macron collected 8.66 million votes, or 24 per cent, while Le Pen garnered 7.68 million votes, or 21.3 per cent, according to the official final count published by the Interior Ministry.

Neither candidate hails from the established parties that have dominated the country for decades.

Marine Le Pen says France can either disintegrate without any borders and controls, or can choose to have them.

"The French people must seize this opportunity because the enormous challenge of this election is the wild globalisation which puts our civilisation at risk."

It is the best result ever achieved by the nationalist anti-EU and anti-immigration party the National Front in a French presidential election.

Today Le Pen announced she's temporarily stepping down as head of the National Front party so she can focus on her campaign for president.

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