Macron re-elected president of France, according to vote projections

The liberal French president, Emmanuel Macron, was re-elected on Sunday with a 15.2 to 16.4 point lead over his rival, the far-right Marine Le Pen, in the second round of the French presidential election, according to four pollsters.

The biggest lead is given by Ipsos with 58.2-41.8 % and the smallest by Elabe (57.6-42.4). 

Five years ago, the liberal Macron had a lead of ten million votes over Le Pen, a figure that has halved this time around, according to the projections. 

"It's a wide gap," said health minister Olivier Véran, while European affairs secretary of state Clément Beaune said it was "a clear victory". 

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal called Macron's re-election a "historic result with a historic responsibility". 

It is the first re-election of a president since Jacques Chirac's victory in 2002.

This second round of the presidential election was marked by a low turnout, currently estimated at around 72%, the lowest in 53 years since the 1969 elections.

In addition, early indications are that there were 6 % of invalid votes. 

Macron plans to speak as soon as hard data is known and then celebrate his re-election on the Champ de Mars, the large grassy esplanade at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The huge garden can hold up to 90,000 people.

Le Pen's campaign has chosen a pavilion in the Bois de Boulogne in the west of the capital for her election night.