Le Pen and Macron lead in first round of French presidential vote

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. April 23, 2017, 11:07 PM (IDT)

With 34 percent of the ballots tallied in the first round of the French presidential election, far-right Marine Le Pen leads with 24.6 percent followed by center-left Emmanuel Macron with nearly 22 percent. If their lead is confirmed in the final count, they will face the run-off vote on May 7. The two other frontrunners, center-right Francois Fillon and hard left Jean-Luc Melenchon so far trail behind.

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