World

Emmanuel Macron is set to become the first French president in 20 years to win a second term after an official vote projection suggested he has seen off the challenge from Marine Le Pen.

The projected result from Ipsos saw Mr Macron get 58.2% of the votes compared with Ms Le Pen’s 41.8%.

The pair emerged as the frontrunners after the first round of voting a fortnight ago, when the country was asked to choose between a field of 12 candidates.

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Since then, they have spent two weeks campaigning on a range of topics, although a great deal of focus has been placed by both candidates on how France can best deal with the rising cost of living.

There has also been a significant focus on foreign affairs, immigration and on social cohesion.

Many of those who chose Mr Macron are believed to have done so to keep out Ms Le Pen.

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Controversial policies such as banning the Muslim headscarf in public and her ties to Russia were seen as major factors.

However, the far-right candidate’s support in France has grown during this campaign to her highest level ever – although it appears it might not have been enough.

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