Summary

  • Emmanuel Macron defeats Marine Le Pen to win French presidency

  • He won over 66% of the vote

  • Macron set up his centrist En Marche movement only 13 months ago

  • He has promised to fight division and promote hope and reconciliation

  • Marine Le Pen hailed a "historic, massive result" for the far right

  • Turnout was around 74%, the lowest for a run-off in almost 50 years

Live Reporting

Laurence Peter and Tom Spender

  1. Our teams across France (and elsewhere)

    We have staff across France gauging the mood - here's a taster of the locations some of the votes are being placed.

    The voting booths in Paris' 15th arrondisement - 7 May 2017

    The BBC's Hanan Razek is at this not-too-shabby polling station in the 15th arrondisement of Paris

    Polling station in Bordeaux - 7 May 2017

    And Nuala McGovern is in Bordeaux, where Alain Juppé, the man who lost out in the centre-right Republican party race, is mayor

    Meanwhile, our own Henri Astier is on his way to the polling station here in London. Wish him luck - the queues for the first round in late April were long. Very long.

  2. Suspect device at Louvre

    An AP journalist has this on the security scare at the Louvre.

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  3. Lower turnout so far

    The BBC's Karin Giannone is in Paris, where wet weather may be keeping some voters at home.  

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  4. How do you vote from space?

    That's the quandary faced by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who's been on board the International Space Station since November, and isn't due back on Earth until the end of this month.

    Astronaut Thomas Pesquet in spaceJack Fischer

    Thomas Pesquet aboard the ISS (the photo is taken by fellow ISS resident Jack Fischer)

    Even being some 400km (249 miles) hasn't proven to be a problem though.

    Before the first round of the presidential election last month, the European space programme's spokesman, Jules Grandsire, told Le Parisien newspaper Pesquet was voting using a proxy.

    "He said before leaving that he wanted to do his duty as a citizen, that you can do even from all the way up there."

    Pesquet, the unofficial photographer on board the ISS, has been posting plenty of pictures of his homeland in the past few days.

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post 2

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post 3

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  5. Louvre evacuated

    The Louvre esplanade in Paris, where Macron supporters are planning to celebrate this evening if he wins, has been totally evacuated by police over a suspicious device.

    We'll bring you more on this as we get it.

  6. What powers does the president have?

    AFP news agency has prepared this nice explainer detailing the extent of the French president's powers. Some of them may be obvious, some not. 

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  7. Macron makes his choice

    Here's Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux preparing to vote at a polling station in Le Touquet, the Channel resort where they live.

    Emmanuel Macron (L) and his wife Brigitte Trogneux (R) prepare to cast their ballots at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, 7 MayEPA

  8. Le Pen casts her vote

    Here she is at a polling station in the norther town of Henin-Beaumont, a stronghold of her far-right National Front (FN) party. 

    Marine Le Pen casts her ballot in a polling station in Henin-Beaumont, 7 MayGetty Images

  9. A contest like few others

    Welcome to our live coverage of France's presidential election, the climax of a ferocious campaign.

    We have to wait until 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) to get a sense of whether Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen has been chosen to lead the eurozone's second-biggest economy for the next five years. 

    What we do know right now is that a revolution in French politics is under way. Neither candidate represents one of the country's traditional parties of government - their picks got knocked out in the first round on 23 April. 

    Stay the course with us for updates on the voting, analysis from our correspondents and reaction to the result.