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1st LD: Macron, Le Pen lead first round of French presidential election

Xinhua, April 23, 2017 Adjust font size:

Centrist candidate and former minister of economy Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen on Sunday came out on top in the first round of the French presidential election, according to projections by several pollsters.

An updated estimation by research firm Elabe for local broadcaster BFMTV indicates that Macron leads with 24 percent of votes, and Le Pen 21.8 percent.

Right-wing conservative candidate and former prime minister Francois Fillon conceded defeat on Sunday night, and vowed to vote for Macron in the runoff on May 7.

"The defeat is mine. Do not scatter, stay united," Fillon told his supporters in a gathering after the vote.

According to the Elabe estimation, Fillon ends up in the third place with 19.9 percent of votes, while far-leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon ranks fourth with 19.3 percent.

A total of 11 candidates participated in this year's race towards French presidency, and the two leading candidates in the first round election will face each other in the decisive runoff on May 7. Endit