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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Emmanuel Macron: French president-elect to fight 'forces of division' | Emmanuel Macron: French president-elect to fight 'forces of division' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Emmanuel Macron has vowed to fight "the forces of division that undermine France" after easily winning the run-off election for the French presidency. | Emmanuel Macron has vowed to fight "the forces of division that undermine France" after easily winning the run-off election for the French presidency. |
| The centrist candidate, 39, defeated the far right's Marine Le Pen, winning 66.1% of the vote to her 33.9%. | |
| Acknowledging his victory, Mr Macron told supporters he wanted to ensure Le Pen voters "no longer have a reason to vote for an extremist position". | Acknowledging his victory, Mr Macron told supporters he wanted to ensure Le Pen voters "no longer have a reason to vote for an extremist position". |
| There has been a palpable sense of relief among European leaders. | There has been a palpable sense of relief among European leaders. |
| Mr Macron was elected on a pro-European Union platform, while Ms Le Pen by contrast threatened to pull out of the single currency and hold an in/out referendum on France's membership of the EU. | |
| What did Mr Macron say? | What did Mr Macron say? |
| In a speech to jubilant supporters, Mr Macron said: "Tonight you won, France won. Everyone told us it was impossible, but they don't know France." | In a speech to jubilant supporters, Mr Macron said: "Tonight you won, France won. Everyone told us it was impossible, but they don't know France." |
| His win makes him France's youngest president, and overturns the decades-long dominance of France's two main political parties. | |
| But huge challenges remain, with a third of the electorate choosing Ms Le Pen and even more abstaining or casting a blank ballot. | But huge challenges remain, with a third of the electorate choosing Ms Le Pen and even more abstaining or casting a blank ballot. |
| Mr Macron said he had heard "the rage, anxiety and doubt that a lot of you have expressed", vowing to spend his five years in office "fighting the forces of division that undermine France". | Mr Macron said he had heard "the rage, anxiety and doubt that a lot of you have expressed", vowing to spend his five years in office "fighting the forces of division that undermine France". |
| Macron speech in full | Macron speech in full |
| What has the international reaction been? | What has the international reaction been? |
| Most of those running the EU were breathing a sigh of relief, given Ms Le Pen's policies and last year's Brexit vote. | Most of those running the EU were breathing a sigh of relief, given Ms Le Pen's policies and last year's Brexit vote. |
| European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted "happy that the French chose a European future" while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Mr Macron's win was a "victory for a strong united Europe". | |
| US President Donald Trump, who has previously praised Ms Le Pen, tweeted his congratulations to Mr Macron for the "big win" and said he looked forward to working with him. | US President Donald Trump, who has previously praised Ms Le Pen, tweeted his congratulations to Mr Macron for the "big win" and said he looked forward to working with him. |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin said amid the "growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism" it was important to "join forces to ensure international stability and security". | |
| What challenges lie ahead for Mr Macron? | |
| With parliamentary elections in June, he will be campaigning on behalf of his new movement En Marche to get the seats he needs to pursue his legislative agenda. | |
| The grouping, founded just over a year ago, does not yet have a presence in parliament. If he cannot gain a majority he may have to form a coalition. | |
| His campaign pledges included a 120,000 reduction in public-sector jobs, a cut in public spending by €60bn (£50bn; $65bn), and a lowering of the unemployment rate to below 7%. | |
| He vowed to ease labour laws and give new protections to the self-employed. | |
| No date has been set for his inauguration, but he is expected to be sworn-in by 14 May. | |
| A victory - for now, by the BBC's Europe Editor Katya Adler | A victory - for now, by the BBC's Europe Editor Katya Adler |
| Emmanuel Macron has won the presidency. He now needs to win over the French people. | Emmanuel Macron has won the presidency. He now needs to win over the French people. |
| Many of those who voted for him did so to stop Marine Le Pen. They remain to be convinced by his political programme, unlike Brussels, which is delighted. | Many of those who voted for him did so to stop Marine Le Pen. They remain to be convinced by his political programme, unlike Brussels, which is delighted. |
| EU leaders believe Marine Le Pen's defeat is a strong sign that Eurosceptic nationalism is now ebbing. | EU leaders believe Marine Le Pen's defeat is a strong sign that Eurosceptic nationalism is now ebbing. |
| But while far right populists have been defeated in Austria, the Netherlands and France, the barbed issues that drove voters to them - unemployment, immigration and fear of globalisation - remain to be resolved. | But while far right populists have been defeated in Austria, the Netherlands and France, the barbed issues that drove voters to them - unemployment, immigration and fear of globalisation - remain to be resolved. |
| France's deep political divisions will become evident once again in the lead-up to parliamentary elections. | France's deep political divisions will become evident once again in the lead-up to parliamentary elections. |
| The question remains: Will Emmanuel Macron, inexperienced in politics and with his fledgling party be able to form the credible government needed to pass the reforms he promises? | The question remains: Will Emmanuel Macron, inexperienced in politics and with his fledgling party be able to form the credible government needed to pass the reforms he promises? |
| Where does this leave Ms Le Pen? | |
| Ms Le Pen won almost double the tally her father Jean-Marie won in 2002, the last time a far right candidate made the French presidential run-off. | |
| Although she performed worse than final polls had indicated, her anti-globalisation, anti-immigrant, high-spending manifesto attracted an estimated 11 million votes. | |
| She said the election had shown a division between "patriots and globalists" and called for the emergence of a new political force. | |
| Ms Le Pen said her National Front party needed to renew itself and that she would start the "deep transformation of our movement", vowing to lead it into next month's parliamentary elections. | |