FRANCE: Macron wins French presidency

Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron has decisively won the French presidential election, projected results say. Mr Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65% to 35% to become, at 39, the country’s youngest president, the results show. If confirmed, he will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic’s foundation in 1958. A bitterly fought election concluded on Sunday amid massive security.

The Macron team said that the new president had had a “cordial” telephone conversation with Ms Le Pen.

In a speech she thanked the 11 million people who had voted for her. She said the election had shown a division between “patriots and globalists” and called for the emergence of a new political force.

President François Hollande congratulated Mr Macron and said the result showed the French people wanted to unite around the “values of the republic”.