DUSHANBE, 25.04.2017. /NIAT “Khovar”/. Emanuel Macron, the founder of the movement En Marche! (On the Move), has won in the first round of France’s presidential elections with 24.01% of the vote, France’s interior ministry said on Monday after counting 100% of ballots. Macron’s key rival, far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, has won 21.30% of votes.

According to TASS News Agency, the Republicans candidate Francois Fillon finished third with 20.01% of the vote. He is followed by Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left La France insoumise movement, with 19.58% of votes. Benoit Hammon, the candidate from the ruling Socialist Party, scored as little as 6.36% of votes. Next is Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Debout la France) with 4.70% of votes.

As many as eleven candidates vied for presidency in the first round of voting on April 23. The five other contenders managed to score only 4.04% in all. These five are Jean Lassalle (1.21%), Philippe Poutou (1.09%), Francois Asselineau (0.92%), Nathalie Arthaud (0.64%), and Jacques Cheminade (0.18%).

The overall number of eligible voters, according to the interior ministry, was 45,581,118 people, of whom slightly more than 37 million took part in the voting. Thus, the voter turnout was 77.77%.

The runoff election will take place on May 7.