Macron beats Le Pen in French presidential election – as it happened

The latest from the French interior ministry puts Macron at 66.06%, with virtually all votes counted.

And that is where we are going to leave the live blog. Thanks for reading. For a full wrap of the events in France, have a look at this news story by Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis. My colleagues in London will start a new blog of reaction to the results in France as the continent wakes up. Until then, you can all read about Emmanuel Macron’s historic win here. Bonne nuit.

• Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, 39, who was unknown three years ago ago, has become France’s youngest-ever president after an estimated 65% to 35% victory in the second round run-off against Front National’s right-wing leader Marine Le Pen.
• The resounding win has been hailed by his supporters as holding back a tide of populism after the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory in the US election.
• In Macron’s fairly subdued victory speech the political outsider vowed to unite a divided and fractured France, saying the world was watching and “waiting for us to defend the spirit of the Enlightenment, threatened in so many places”.
• Despite her loss, Le Pen’s score marked a historical high point for the French right. In a defiant concession speech, Le Pen said she was leader of “the biggest opposition force” in France and vowed to radically overhaul her party.
• Turnout for the vote was the lowest in 40 years.
• Macron now faces the challenge of trying to win a parliamentary majority for his fledgling political movement En Marche! in legislative elections next month. Without a majority, he will not be able to carry out his manifesto promises.
• World leaders including Trump, Theresa May and Justin Trudeau have congratulated Macron.
• The British prime minister spoke to Macron in a brief call in which the pair discussed Brexit. Macron also had a “warm” conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Financial markets have been muted in response to Macron’s victory, the Euro remaining fairly flat in early Asian trading.

The reverberations of the result in France are being felt as far away as Australia, where prime minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeted his congratulations to Macron.

He was followed by former PM Kevin Rudd, who described the win as “a smack in the mouth for to racists everywhere”.

While Donald Trump has been quick to congratulate Macron, it is worth noting that last month he said Le Pen was the “strongest candidate”. Just two weeks ago he reaffirmed his support for her on Twitter.

Le Pen also found a friend in Steve King, the Republican congressman from Iowa with a history of inflammatory comments on immigration and vocal support for the European far right.

So, who is Emmanuel Macron? At this point it is worth revisiting this profile by Angelique Chrisafis, our Paris correspondent, that delves into the back story of the centrist maverick.

As well as speaking to Theresa May, Macron has also talked to German chancellor Angela Merkel in the hours following his victory.

Macron reportedly had a 10-minute phone conversation with Merkel, telling her that he would travel to Berlin “very quickly,” a source close to him said, describing it as a “very warm” exchange.

With Macron’s elevation to the Elysée Palace in the bag, thoughts will now turn to the make-up of his cabinet and the role his wife Brigitte might play in it.

In April, Angelique Chrisafis wrote that if elected, Macron planned to hold a consultation to define the ambiguous status of first lady in France and draw up a job description for the first time. The story also charts the relationship between the pair, which famously began when Macron was a teenage school student and the woman who would become his wife was a drama teacher.

Our results tracker neatly shows how each department in France voted.

8 May 201719.26 EDT

Martin Farrer

The financial markets aren’t completely convinced about Macron’s victory so the euro remains fairly flat in early Asian trading despite its little bounce earlier.

The single currency, which would be expected to benefit from the pro-EU Macron taking charge in France, is down slightly on those ealier gains at US$1.099. It’s up against the yen though, and also the pound which is currently worth €1.179.

Chris Weston of IG Markets in Melbourne has this:

“Macron has no traditional party behind him, so the political analysts will be keen to understand the make-up of his government (when it is formed) and one suspects that the view that this potentially fragmented structure is keeping a lid on euro buying. Of course, the fact that this was highly anticipated is the main reason why we are only seeing euro [up slightly] in early Asia trade.

However, it could be that with big gains already having been priced in thanks to Macron’s first round win, the euro is set for a fall. An alternative take here at the Market History blog.

Here are some more front pages. First up, the Guardian:

Meanwhile, The Metro couldn’t resist a pun.

Reuters reports that France’s biggest trade unions has issued warnings over the victory of Emmanuel Macron in the country’s presidential election, with one union calling for a demonstration on 8 May.
The CFDT, France’s biggest union, welcomed Macron’s victory in a statement but added that the National Front’s score was still too high.
“Now, all the anxieties expressed at the ballot by a part of the electorate must be heard. The feeling of being disenfranchised, of injustice, and even abandonment is present among a large number of our citizens. The CFDT calls on Emmanuel Macron not to turn a deaf ear to this despair,” it said.
The CGT, one of the country’s more militant unions, called for a demonstration in Paris on 8 May to mark the start of Macron’s presidency in protest against “liberal” economic policies.

British Brexit supporters have poured scorn on France and Emmanuel Macron after his victory, writes Tim Wyatt in the Guardian.

The Twitter account of Leave.EU, the pro-Brexit pressure group set up by Nigel Farage for last year’s referendum, tweeted that the French people had once again “rolled over” just as they had done in 1940 – except this time they saved Germany “the bullets and the fuel”. The tweet also included a picture of a newspaper headline from 1940 reporting the surrender of France to the Nazis.

You can read more here:

Theresa May has already spoken to Macron about Brexit, according to Number 10. A readout of the first call between the French president-elect and the British prime minister said May called Macron “to warmly congratulate him on his election victory.”

“The Prime Minister said that she looked forward to working with the new President on a range of shared issues, with the UK and France’s unique partnership providing a strong foundation for future co-operation,” it said.

“The leaders briefly discussed Brexit and the Prime Minister reiterated that the UK wants a strong partnership with a secure and prosperous EU once we leave.“The Prime Minister and President-elect Macron looked forward to meeting and holding discussions at the upcoming NATO and G7 Summits.”

An early edition front page of Libération, the left-leaning French newspaper jointly founded by the late philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, simply declares “Well played,” alongside a portrait of Macron.