Macron and Le Pen through first round of French election

French centrist Emmanuel Macron has come out on top in the first round of France's presidential election and will go head-to-head with far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

He is favourite to win the 7 May final round.

The result means that for the first time in 60 years there is no candidate from France's main left- or right-wing parties through from the first round.

Results

According to reports in France, Le Pen trailed 21.5% of the vote to Macron's 23.8%.

Francois Fillon, a centre-right politician whose campaign was dogged by scandal, and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon were the nearest contenders on around 19%.

Many of the major parties are now backing Macron, who at 39 could become France's youngest president despite running as an independent.

However, without a political party behind him Macron may struggle to secure a majority in the national assembly.

This means the challenging prospect of having to negotiate his policies approved through parliament.