French elections 2022: Macron and Le Pen dey battle for presidency

Emmanuel Macron don win di first round of di French election and far-right rival Marine Le Pen go fight am for di presidency for a second time.

"Make no mistake, we neva decide anytin yet," im tell im supporters.

In di end, Macron win a convincing first-round victory, but opinion polls suggest say di run-off fit dey much closer.

Ms Le Pen call on every non-Macron voter to join her and "put France back in order".

Wit 97% of results counted, Emmanuel Macron gbab 27.35% of di vote, Marine Le Pen 23.97% and Jean-Luc Mélenchon 21.7%.

Kingmaker on far left

Veteran far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon poll even better pass five years ago and now e get di unlikely role of kingmaker.

"Make una no give a single vote to Marine Le Pen," im warn im supporters, but unlike other candidates, im no support di president instead.

Later for di evening, Mélenchon activists gada outside im campaign HQ dey think say im fit even come second but e no happun.

Making up more than a fifth of di vote, Mélenchon voters fit decide di final round of dis election, yet many of dem fit no vote for di second round.

Na Twelve candidates dey run for di election but dis na di only three wey get more than 10% votes.

Many of di voters be like dem embrace di idea of tactical or "useful" voting, decide say di other nine candidates no get hope to make di run-off.

Run-off campaign starts now

Di battle for votes don start Marine Le Pen fit count on supporters of Eric Zemmour, wey im hardline nationalism give am fourth place and 7%. Nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan don also support her. E don already make impressive 33% of di entire vote.

Oga Macron team don already dey plan a series of big rallies and major TV appearances. Most of di other candidates on di left dey support am like Valérie Pécresse, but one-time Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal say di president need "earn" im victory.

Ifop pollster François Dabi say im company 51%-49% estimate na di closest dem don ever predict. One BFMTV poll put di gap for 52%-48% and one Ipsos poll suggest say e still dey wide.

Addressing im supporters,Oga Macron be like one relieved man and im promise to work harder than im do for di first part of di campaign. Im only begin campaign eight days before, im mind bin dey more focused on Russia war for Ukraine.

"Wen di extreme right in all im forms represents so much of our country," im tok, "we no fit feel say things dey go well."

Im address Le Pen voters too: "I wan convince dem in di next few days say our project answers solidly to dia fears and challenges of our time."

Ms Le Pen say time don reach for a "great changeover", wit a fundamental choice on 24 April of two opposite views: "Either division and disorder, or union of di French pipo around social justice wey tanda well."

She don built her campaign around di cost-of-living gbege wey dey face plenty of Europe, promise to cut taxes and waive income tax for under-30s. E don get plenty tok-tok on nationalism, but she say she want referendum on restricting immigration, radical change to di EU and a ban on di Islamic hijab in public areas.

Di campaign only begin ginger like two weeks ago, first na sake of di Covid pandemic and then di Russian war. But in di end, di spring sunshine mean say turnout no dey as low as pipo dey fear, at almost 75%.

E don already dey clear from Oga Macron speech im plan to target Ms Le Pen close links wit di Kremlin. Although she don condemn Vladimir Putin war, she visit am before di previous election and her party collect Russian loan.

Im want France wey dey make alliances wit great democracies to defend imself, e tok, no be state wey go comot Europe and get only populists and xenophobes as padi-padi.

One in four young voters support di president, although more than one in three 18-24 year-olds choose Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to Elabe pollsters.

Marine Le Pen perform best among 35-64 year-olds, while di over 65s favour di president.