Image source, Reuters

Our live coverage of the first round of France's presidential election is ending.

The two candidates expected to go through - Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen - have done just that. The race now enters a new phase and some polls suggest the second round result could be very tight.

You can read the full story of today's vote here.

We will be back in two weeks' time, on Sunday 24 April, to report on what happens next as French voters return to the polls.

Today's live page writers were Paul Kirby, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman, George Wright and Alexandra Fouché. The page was edited by Tom Spender.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Macron's HQ

Image source, Reuters

The cheers were loud. The flag waving full of enthusiasm. The room was relieved. But while their man may have managed a bigger lead than many expected given recent polls, Marine Le Pen’s campaign has still given them a scare.

Nothing is decided, insisted Emmanuel Macron tonight. It’s the exactly the kind of message you’d expect from an incumbent who’s ahead; desperate to avoid complacency or any sense that victory is secure. And of course, with a fortnight to run, it isn’t.

They say a week is a long time in politics. Try two.

Battle for young Mélenchon voters could prove pivotalpublished at 22:43 British Summer Time 10 April 2022

22:43 BST 10 April 2022

Anna Holligan
Reporting from Jean-Luc Mélenchon's campaign HQ

Image source, EPA

"We are here, we are here…’’ The chants resounded inside the circus that's been transformed into Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s HQ.

The oldest candidate, whose messages of social justice and climate consciousness resonated the most with young voters, was on typically fiery form.

Addressing supporters from the stage, he compelled them not give a single vote to his far-right rival Marine Le Pen, but stopped short of suggesting they lend their loyalty to Emmanuel Macron.

He said his defeat meant France was now faced with a choice between two evils.

Some pollsters say Mélenchon was the favourite candidate among the 18-24 demographic with approximately 34% of young people who turned out investing their faith in him.

Who wins the battle for these young Melenchon voters could prove pivotal in determining who enters the Elysée.

According to some projections, the gap between Le Pen and Mélenchon may be narrowing, with the far-right leader only 0.8 points ahead of her far-left rival in some cases.

"The two qualified are indeed Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, but Jean-Luc Mélenchon is very close, and the gap has narrowed," says Brice Teinturier, director of the Ipsos-Sopra Steria polling firm.

There's no suggestion that the result will change as a result or that the Mélenchon camp is calling for anything specific in view of the figures.

Official results are due to be published overnight at around 01:00 local time (midnight BST).

Nick Beake
At Le Pen HQ

Marine Le Pen arrived on stage earlier this evening and called on all those who didn’t vote for her or Macron to join her campaign.

She said she would be president for all of France - a country she said should be making its own decisions.

Cue huge applause and chants of “President, President”.

Champagne and singing soon followed the exit polls here at Le Pen HQ. Among the smartly-dressed party officials there was initial joy at her highest first-round showing, although some were hoping it would higher.

Now that the obligatory selfies have been taken, party officials will look to maintain their momentum and prepare for two weeks ahead.

The far-right leader calls on those who did not vote for Macron to back her in the second round. Both candidates are now competing for the votes of the 10 candidates who did not make it through to the second round in two weeks.

If you're just joining or if you need a recap on events, here is a summary of the latest developments:

Round one results: Emmanuel Macron is set to face the far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a run-off for the French presidency after the two came top in the first round. Macron secured about 28% of the vote compared with about 23% for Le Pen, vote projections suggest

Speeches: The candidates took turns to thank their supporters at their respective campaign HQs. Le Pen promised to put France "in order" if she won, while Macron said he would unite the country

Close race to come: The incumbent president looks set to face a very tight contest with Le Pen in the second round on 24 April. One pollster has predicted 51% for Macron and 49% for Le Pen. In 2017, he won with 66.1% of the votes

Still pivotal: Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon may have come third with about 20% of the vote, but his supporters could still play an important role in deciding the final winner

Macron called on the supporters of his defeated presidential election rivals to back him in a run-off contest against Marine Le Pen. Pledging to unify France, he said he would reflect "all the different convictions and beliefs" if he beats his far-right rival on 24 April.

Hugh Schofield
Reporting from Paris

Image source, Getty Images

It is to be a re-run of the 2017 second round, where Emmanuel Macron pulverised Marine Le Pen. But this time around, let no-one be under any illusion that it will be so easy.

Estimations from round one show how tactical voting rewrote the electoral map.

Voters gathered into three broad camps: Macron, the far-right and the far-left. In the last days of campaigning, many people who were considering other candidates finally decided that they would rather back a frontrunner.

There was thus a big transfer of votes from Zemmour - the hard-right nationalist pundit - to the camp of Le Pen. Some right-wingers in the conservative Republicans party may have done the same.

On the left, voters decided that neither the Socialist Hidalgo nor the Green Jadot could ever make it into round two. So they shifted massively to Mélenchon, simply to keep a leftist in the race. This despite many Socialists and Greens actively disliking the man.

And in the centre, many who would normally have chosen the Republicans' Pécresse will have plumped instead for the incumbent. Why? Because they were genuinely afraid that Le Pen and/or Mélenchon were coming up too strong from behind.

But what this also shows is that the so-called "irresponsible" forces of the extremes - Macron's opposition - are all the time getting stronger.

Read more of Hugh's analysis of the results here

Image source, Reuters

"Beaver voters" are those who traditionally vote in favour of a candidate in order to "create a barrage against the extreme right", the BBC's Helene Daouphars explains.

Macron has urged them to build their dam and prevent Le Pen from taking the presidency - so have all the other candidates apart from Zemmour.

But will they? Our correspondent says things might not be so straightforward this time around.

"People are not so ready any more to always vote against the extreme right and they are fed up with this situation we end up with," Daouphars says.

Macron will need to be "more convincing to rural France", she adds.

He goes on to address the cost of living - a major campaign theme of his second-round opponent Le Pen.

The only way to address this, he insists, is by moving forward with his party's political programme.

"The debate that we are going to have over the next fortnight will be decisive for our country and Europe," he tells his supporters at his campaign headquarters, urging them to "spare no effort" to win over voters to his side.

He adds: "I believe in us all, regardless of origins, beliefs."

He ends his short address to his supporters by saying: "I am counting on you. Nothing is decided. [Let's move] forward."

Image source, Reuters

Macron takes to the stage greeted by supporters chanting "and one and two and five more [years]" and "Macron President".

He thanked those who voted for him, as well as the candidates who stood against him, and those who asked for their supporters to back him.

He asks French voters to vote for him to block the far right from taking power.

"I invite all including those who did not vote for me in the first round to rally behind us."

He says he hopes to convince those who did not vote or who voted for extreme candidates. Nothing has been decided yet, he says.

"Pandering to populism and xenophobia - that's not France," he says.

Macron has arrived at his campaign HQ and has taken to the stage, ready to address supporters.

He may have won the first round by as much as five points, but this opinion poll that's been broadcast by one of two big TV networks shows this race is not over.

That's why Macron and Le Pen will now have to fight for every vote.

Macron, no longer the candidate of hope and changepublished at 20:30 British Summer Time 10 April 2022

20:30 BST 10 April 2022

James Shields
Honorary Professor in French Studies, University of Warwick

Emmanuel Macron has won this first round with 28% - but as an embattled incumbent, no longer the candidate of hope and change.

He is well placed in the centre to build a winning majority; but how far will leftist voters disappointed with the rightward bias of Macron’s first term rally this time to see him over the line?

Far-right candidates have secured their highest ever first-round aggregate (33%), leaving Macron’s promise to reduce the far right ringing hollow. Marine Le Pen (23%) has raised her first-round score from 21% in 2017. How far can she raise her then second-round score (34%), and where will her wider reserves of support lie?

The traditional parties of government have suffered a historic, humiliating defeat (Socialists 2%; Republicans 5%). Both are in existential crisis. Will these once hegemonic parties perish or can they find redemption in the June parliamentary elections?

At 26%, abstention was close to a presidential record.

Following record abstention across all mid-term elections, this confirms a disengagement within French politics that has worsened under Macron’s presidency.

How will abstention impact the second round and, if high, could it raise questions over democratic legitimacy by depriving the winner of a strong mandate?

Our colleagues at Macron's HQ in Paris have been speaking to some of the president's supporters ahead of his much-awaited speech.

"Every other candidate who lost tonight should call for a Macron vote," said one woman. "It's only common sense, we can't be ruled by the extreme in our country, it'd be catastrophic."

Another young woman defended the president for launching his campaign late, because she said it was important he had focused on diplomacy over the war in Ukraine.

"He has heavy responsibilities and that's what he prioritised: being a president until the last moment, and I think it's a wise decision," she said.

Image source, Reuters

French far-right candidate Eric Zemmour has now, as expected, urged his supporters to vote for far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election.

He said however that his party would continue to fight for its ideas, saying its position was unique and not represented elsewhere.

Where will the other votes go now?published at 20:06 British Summer Time 10 April 2022

20:06 BST 10 April 2022

Paul Kirby
Reporting from Paris

We now know who will go into the second round - but the question for voters who didn't back either Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen is which of the two will they support on 24 April.

Marine Le Pen has already called on all French voters to join her.

Republicans candidate Valérie Pécresse has already thrown her weight behind the incumbent president, although she has a paltry 5% of the vote. Greens candidate Eric Jadot has backed Macron too.

You would expect Eric Zemmour's supporters to choose fellow far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, but he only secured marginally greater support than Pécresse with around 7%.

But the big question is where will the supporters of far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon take their votes? He has polled around 20% of the vote and he told his supporters three times: "You must not give a single vote to Marine Le Pen."

He's not backing Macron, and many of his supporters may choose not to vote at all. Mélenchon didn't use the word abstain but he didn't have to. It all goes to show that this race isn't over just yet.

Image source, Reuters

Far left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon has now joined the other candidates - apart from Zemmour - in urging supporters not to vote for Le Pen in the second round to keep the far right out of power.

Speaking to supporters after coming third in the vote, he said the results do not correctly reflect the exasperation of people around France.

He admitted disappointment but vowed to keep up his political struggle.

To cheers he told supporters: "There must not be one single vote for Le Pen in the second round."

Image source, Reuters

Marine Le Pen has in turn been speaking, calling for those who hadn't voted Macron to vote for her in the second round.

She said she would be the "president of all French people" if elected in the second round and touched on all the familiar themes she campaigned on ahead of the polls, including reasserting French values, controlling immigration and ensuring security for all.

To the sounds of her supporters chanting "we're going to win", she vowed to "put France in order within five years".