Macron V Le Pen For The Run Off......

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39686993
Is France on the verge of an upset

[-Talbot-]

No
Same old for France ... open them borders.

[ichkeria]

Macron and Le Pen were favourites to come first and second. It will if confirmed be the first time neither of the traditional left and right parties had been in a run-off. M Fillon has already come out for M Macron. He will be a very young president if elected but I reckon he's what France needs.

[-Talbot-]

You were right there is upset in France

https://twitter.com/TheLocalFrance

[jourdain2]

Either will spell huge upset in France, i.m.o.. It is just a question of the timing. Macron is untried. He may be seen as 'safe', but, from experience of his term in power, he was full of promising ideas - which translated into nothing. An example: his big idea was to relax the employment laws so that shops could have more charge of their opening hours and open longer. I remember our local shops & supermarket getting quite excited - the end result was that some shops in some tourist areas (nearly all in Paris) were allowed more flexible hours. Great local disappointment.

If he is elected, I fear that France will have elected the hubris rather than the substance. What that could bring in a few years' time is anyone's guess. At the very least it will almost guarantee the election of a resurgent, bolder extremist party, I think, because he represents the very last throw of the moderate dice.

Le Pen - well, who knows? She may actually be the better bet for France right now. Certainly at the moment she is constrained and mostly reasonable and open to argument (I said 'mostly'). Perhaps she is what France needs - a huge kick and upset (not as extreme as I fear may erupt in the future) to shake things up and then she can be defeated in an election. I don't know.

Whichever, there are rapids ahead, no matter if the result appears to head for clear waters. Bonne chance a tous!

[ichkeria]

She has a job of work to do as she's 25 percentage points behind M Macron as it stands!

[Togo]

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/french-election-marine-le-pen-wins-through-to-final-showdown-against-emmanuel-macron-early-results-suggest/ar-BBAcTO0?li=BBoPWjQ

Didn't both candidates promise to quit the Euro and hold a referendum on Frexit, whilst being in favour. Haha. Trend setting Britain.

[ichkeria]

Er, no ...

[Togo]

A Shame that then. :))

[-Talbot-]

Le Pen looks like winning the first round

[jourdain2]

^^ Where do you get that from? Have I missed something?

[Togo]

Link @ 20:37 Jourdain.

[tonyav]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2017/apr/23/french-presidential-election-results-2017-latest

[jourdain2]

Thanks, everyone, but the link shows what I thought I had gleaned elsewhere in that Macron was ahead of Le Pen - so I'm unsure why Talbot thinks that Le Pen is on the way to winning the 1st round.

[tonyav]

Official first round result
With 15 of 107 departements counted | At 22:27 CEST
Le Pen 22.49%
Macron 21.23%
Mélenchon 20.54%
Fillon 19.5%
Hamon 7%
Dupont-Aignan 3.63%
Poutou 1.58%
Lassalle 1.33%
Asselineau 1.3%

[-Talbot-]

French Interior Ministry, jourdain.

50% of votes counted LePen on 25%

[jourdain2]

Merci, Tony! Wow! I'm getting back onto France 2 etc.. But it's only 15 Departements counted. An evening full of interest, methinks. Apologies, Talbot. :) x

[vetuste_ennemi]

Marine's supporter may find cheer in this:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-macron-idUSKBN17M25P

After Brexit and Hillary's Obama's sponsorship might not seem the best of omens.

En revanche, plus de chance la troisième fois, Barack?

[tonyav]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/23/french-election-live-results-exit-polls/

[-Talbot-]

A lacklustre speech from Macron.

He makes Ed Milliband look exciting and dynamic.

[-Talbot-]

Macron has just been likened to Napoleon ... time for bed I think.