PARIS — After France’s two main political parties fell short in Sunday’s first round voting, next month’s second round will feature a showdown of centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Macron, 39, of the brand new En Marche ! party came in first with 23.7% of the vote, while Le Pen of the National Front party (founded by her father) collected 21.5% of ballots.
This is the first time in France’s Fifth Republic that the Socialist Party (PS) and the recently renamed Republican Party (LR) were knocked out in the first round. Ahead of the May 7 runoff to determine the next occupant of the Elysée presidential palace, here’s a look at how 13 French newspapers reacted:
Le Figaro — “The Right K.O.”
La Croix — “Macron-Le Pen, A New Order”
Libération — “Only One Step Left,” a pun on the name of Macron’s En Marche ! (Onward!) movement
L’Humanité — “Never”
La Dépêche — “The Duel”
La Voix du Nord — “Unprecedented”
Le Parisien — “The Macron Sensation”
La République des Pyrénées — “Macron Versus Le Pen”
Charente Libre — “Foward to the Élysée”
La Montagne — “The Rupture”
La Provence — “Historic”
