Macron Beats Le Pen In French Presidential Runoff

French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday, by a comfortable margin, early projections by pollsters showed, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake, Reuters reported.

Photo Insert: French President Emmanuel Macron casts his vote.

The first projections showed Macron securing around 58% of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country.

Earlier, the New York Times reported that Macron of France was projected to triumph in his re-election fight against the far-right leader Le Pen. Early projections at the close of voting, which are generally reliable, showed Macron gaining 58.2 percent of the vote to Le Pen’s 41.8 percent.

Cheers of joy erupted as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel tower, where Macron supporters waved French and EU flags. People hugged each other and chanted "Macron."

In contrast, a gathering of dejected Le Pen supporters erupted in boos and whistles as they heard the news at a sprawling reception hall on the outskirts of Paris, Mimosa Spencer, Juliette Jabkhiro and Layli Foroudi reported for Reuters.

A first major challenge will be the parliamentary elections. They are just around the corner, in June, and opposition parties on the left and right will immediately start a major push to try to vote in a parliament and government opposed to Macron.

Philippe Lagrue, 63, technical director at a theatre in Paris, said earlier in the day that he had cast a ballot for Macron, after voting for the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first round. He said he will vote for Melenchon again in the legislative elections: "Melenchon Prime Minister. That would be fun. Macron would be upset, but that's the point."

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