(VOVworld) –The French Interior Ministry announced on Monday that independent Emmanuel Macron and far-right populist Marine Le Pen will face each other in the presidential run-off on May 7. With 46 out of 47 million votes counted, Macron leads the voting with 23.9%, with Le Pen close behind at 21.4%. 

Candidate Emmanuel Macron addresses supporters in Paris following the preliminary result  (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Macron told supporters in Paris following the first round results that he wants to gather "the greatest possible" support before the May 7 runoff. He praised his supporters for a campaign that changed the course of their country. The 39-year-old candidate urged hope in Europe rather than fear, a reference to Le Pen's anti-European Union campaign.

Le Pen celebrated her victory in the first round and hailed it as a historic result. She warned that France's "survival is at stake” and declared that this is the time to "free the French people from an arrogant elite".