Voters 'change face' of French politics

The vote, in which 77.30 percent of registered voters took part, produced a sweeping result against the candidates of the two main traditional parties.

Benoit Hamon, from the Socialist party of outgoing president Francois Hollande, suffered what he called "a historical sanction" with 6.20 percent.

Hamon, who ran on a political line that was critical of Hollande, said that the sanction was also "legitimate".

The conservative candidate, Francois Fillon, was also kicked out by voters, who put him in the third place with less than 20 percent of the vote (19.70%).

Fillon, a former prime minister under Nicolas Sarkozy, was a one-time favourite for the election but he was weakened by the charges over alleged fake parliamentary jobs.

Fillon came only slightly ahead of Jean-Luc Melenchon, a radical left firebrand who benefited from the socialists' divisions and Hamon's failure to embody a vote for the left.

Both Macron and Le Pen said they represented a new kind of leader for France.

New politics

"We have changed the face of French politics," Macron told his supporters, mainly young people, who were gathered in a large hall in Paris where loud music was playing.

He said that the challenge" in the run-off would be "to decide to break completely with a system that has been unable to address our country's problem for more than 30 years".

He said that he wanted to be a "president who protects, who transforms and who builds" and that he wanted to represent a "path of hope" for a "strong Europe".

He insisted that he wanted to "unite" the French people and that he would be the "president of the patriots in the face of the nationalists' threat".

Speaking from Henin-Beaumont in northern France, one of the towns run by a mayor from her National Front (FN) party, Le Pen said that the vote was "an act of French pride".

She encouraged voters to vote for "the great change, the fundamental change", adding that she wanted to "free the French people from arrogant elites who want to dictate to them what to do".

"Yes, I am the candidate of the people," she said.

"What is at stake is the survival of France," she said, calling on voters to "choose borders that protect France's identity".

Lesser evil

Fifteen years after Jean-Marie Le Pen shocked France and the world by qualifying for the second round, his daughter's second place was welcomed by many with a sigh of relief as a lesser evil.

Politicians from the defeated mainstream parties quickly called to form a so-called republican front to prevent Le Pen from behind elected.

Prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that the result required "a clear and strong position" and called for French voters to elect Macron.

Hamon also supported a vote for Macron, "even if he doesn't represent the left".

Fillon was clear, and told his supporters that is was his "duty" to say that he would vote for Macron.

"There is no other choice than voting against the far-right," he said.

He argued that the National Front was "known for its violence and intolerance" and would bring "chaos to the EU" by pulling France out of the euro.

Melenchon said he would only recognise the results when he sees the final official figures and added that he has "no mandate" from his voters to give voting instructions for the run-off.

However, he commented that "mediacrats and oligarchs jubilate" over the vote's outcome.

According to a first opinion poll published on Sunday evening, Macron is forecasted to beat Le Pen in the second round on 7 May by 62 percent to 38.