PARIS — Emmanuel Macron is projected to become the first French president in two decades to win a second term, holding off a far-right challenge by Marine Le Pen that could have upended Europe.

Macron won 58 percent of the vote and Le Pen 42 percent in the initial projected results released by France’s public broadcaster.

Emmanuel Macron was elected to a second term as French president on Sunday evening with 58.2% of the vote, according to an estimate from the Ipsos polling institute. His far-right challenger Marine Le Pen won 41.8% of the vote in an election that saw the country’s highest abstention rate in 50 years. Follow our live blog for all the latest news and reactions.

Source :france24