French election: First round reaction

"The right is too right, and the left is too left," says student Margot Cadic

As the centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen go through to the second round of the French presidential elections, we have been receiving reaction from French voters.

Margot Cadic is a student from Paris who voted for Macron.

"He's the only candidate that truly represents my centrist and open values," she says. "He knows what he's talking about because of his [finance] experience. He's different because he hasn't been politically active for 25 years.

"I'm relieved he has got through. It's a fascinating time. France will now have to come together and make a coalition.

"Many of my friends are happy too but there are some who think Macron is a conman and just another Francois Hollande.

"I think Macron will become president but there won't be a huge gap between him and Le Pen."

Nadia Darcy queued for two-and-a-half hours with her brother at the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle in London to cast her vote for Jean-Luc Melenchon

Nadia Darcy, a therapist in Surrey, has lived in the UK for 26 years. Before that, she was in Lyon. On Sunday she travelled to London to cast her vote with her younger brother.

"The queue was huge! We lined up for two-and-a-half hours and when we came out the queue was just as long.

"I voted for Jean-Luc Melenchon. I feel Francois Fillon burnt himself from the start. I don't want Marine Le Pen to win. If you don't vote she might be elected, so I had to go and cast mine.

"I am disappointed that Melenchon did not get through. We now have to vote for Macron because Le Pen is too radical."

Pierre Gas is disappointed and shocked that Francois Fillon did not get through to the second round

Unable to vote during the first round, Pierre Gas, who has lived in the UK since 1993, says he is disappointed for Francois Fillon.

"I am a Republican and my family has always voted for Jacques Chirac or Nicolas Sarkozy. It is a shock to me that Francois Fillon has not gone through to the second round. I believe the allegations against him were on purpose to destroy him. It was a smear campaign.

"I am scared that Marine Le Pen will win. I will not be happy to vote for her or Macron."

At a Front National results gathering in Marseille, local mayor and party member Stephane Ravier said that since he joined the party in 1991 "maybe our language and the way we approach voters has changed".

He added: "Of course we will win, it's obvious. We will have to fight but nothing is easy, particularly in politics."

Dominique thinks Macron is clever and experienced.

Dominique is an English teacher in Dijon who is happy with the result. She is confident that Macron will become president.

"I'm quite happy. It could have been worse. I feared Le Pen would be up against Fillon or Melenchon - neither one would have the capacity to get enough votes in the second round.

"My major worry is that Macron might be too young. However, he's clever and experienced. So why not have a younger person [as president]?

"Look what happens when you vote for older politicians, like [Donald] Trump."

Annaick was sad that Benoit Hamon did not make it through to the second round, she says, "He's a real socialist."

Mother of five, Annaick, from Lyon, voted for the Socialist Party candidate, Benoit Hamon.

"My heart was with Mr Hamon because he is a real socialist. He seems to be trustworthy but not very charismatic and I feel he was betrayed in this campaign.

"I was happy that Macron got through, but I'm sad about Le Pen's success.

"I hope Emmanuel Macron will be our next president. I'm pretty confident that he will be."

Yannick Azzopardi from Nice told the BBC he was backing Marine Le Pen because of "security, economy and patriotism".

"I think it's time for us to do the best to make the country safe again because it's really bad what is happening now.

"There are many ways I can talk about Marine Le Pen and I think it's the best way for us to feel better in France and to live better."

"The French have voted against the system." says teacher David Maillard

David Maillard, a primary school teacher from Fecamp, Normandy, says he usually votes for the left but on this occasion he voted for Macron because he opposed Melenchon's EU policies.

"Melenchon is not pro-Europe and Fillon is dishonest, so I voted for Macron in the first round," he says.

"As for the second, I would probably would have destroyed my ballot paper if it ended up as a choice between Le Pen and Fillon.

"I'm pleased with the results, in as much as, it could have been worse. Bizarre as it may seem, the French have voted against the system."

Test pilot Paul Gatty told the BBC he voted tactically for Francois Fillon

Pierre Gatty, a test pilot for an aeronautical company, explains why he voted for Francois Fillon.

"He was not my first best choice. I wasn't sure who to vote for until recently. It was a toss-up between Macron and Fillon.

"Although I prefer Macron, I'm not sure he has great policies. As for Fillon, I knew he wouldn't get through to the second round - I don't think he's been entirely honest - but I prefer him to Melenchon.

"It was a tactical vote for me. I predicted Le Pen and Macron would go through to the next round so for me this was no surprise. I don't think Le Pen will get through. Macron may be young and new but his experience is not an issue. He's intelligent and has the right ideas."

Compiled by Sherie Ryder, UGC and Social News team.