Two Killed As French Presidential Election Results Announced (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police fired on a car in central Paris, killing two people and leaving one other person injured, as Emmanuel Macron won the French presidential election with 58.55% of the votes.
France Info radio and Le Figaro newspaper reported that the incident, which occurred overnight, took place near the Pont Neuf in Paris.
Police had initially spotted the car driving the wrong way and had sought to make checks on it, added French media reports.
BFM TV also reported that France's IGPN police watchdog body was probing the incident.
Meanwhile, demonstrators took to the streets in Paris and Lyon in protest against Macron's election win over far-right rival Marine Le Pen.
Protesters threw fireworks at a police car in Lyon, while police fired tear gas and charged at dozens gathered in Place de la République square in Paris.
Macron defeated Le Pen in a runoff vote, winning a second five-year term and preventing what would otherwise have been a major political upset. Although Macron won by a comfortable margin, the abstention rate was expected to settle at the highest since 1969, with a substantial chunk of voters unwilling to vote for either Macron or Le Pen
Incumbent President Emmanuel Macron scored 58.55% in the second round of the French presidential election, according to the Interior Ministry’s announcement following the completion of the vote count. Macron’s rival, far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen, received 41.45%.
The Constitutional Council will add up the final results in the middle of the week.
Le Pen had already conceded, but promised to continue fulfilling her obligations to the people, saying her political movement will fight hard in the parliamentary elections.
Voting ended at 8:00pm local time. The turnout was 73.07%, which is considered low for a second round of a presidential election. The only time it was lower was 1969 (68.9%).
The president of France is elected for five years, and currently, about 49 million citizens are eligible to vote. The first round was held on April 10, in which 12 candidates ran, and Macron and Le Pen took the top two spots, with Macron winning 27.84% of the vote, and Le Pen gaining 23.15%.
