(POSTING WHEN ABLE WITH FINAL POSTING AROUND MIDNIGHT US TIME)
(LATEST NEWS WILL BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST)
The drama of the final round of voting for President in France interrupted by an attack on a priest in Nice this Sunday. Both the priest and a nun wounded politicians and police in the area quick to talk mental illness over any notion of a terrorist attack.
What they will say after the voting remains to be seen.
One fear of the media is that voter turnout will be low with the leftist voters staying home and narrowing the margin between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen's hopes pinned on a maximum mobilization of anti-Macron voters fearful of losing pension benefits and being burdened with taxes on fuel and other necessities in the face of inflation and replacement of cheaper Russian energy supplies with more expensive American energy.
Macron's government even private energy suppliers lowering prices deliberately for April during the two rounds of voting.
Le Pen warning about globalization and France losing its identity and sovereignty to a global system plus the austerity plans of Macron like "pension reform' which Macron soft-pedaled hoping to nullify the leftist voters hostility to him over his ultimate intentions.
The banker turned politician Macron has his plans which he hopes to implement sooner or later but the raging inflation pending is likely to delay it.
AT 530 PM THE MEDIA HEADLINE TWO AND A HALF HOURS BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE IS THAT ABSTENTION FROM VOTING IS ESTIMATED AT 28 PERCENT A LEVEL NOT SEEN SINCE 1969.
To make sure Le Pen is stopped it is widely believed that voting participation should be as high as possible we will soon see the accuracy of that theory.
THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA VERY WORRIED ABOUT INTERNET POSTINGS WITH INFORMATION THAT IN THEIR OPINION MAY BE FALSE PRIOR TO THE POLLS CLOSING AT 8 PM LOCAL TIME TONIGHT.
THE MSM FEARFUL OF INFORMATION FROM BELGIAN SOURCES FOR EXAMPLE AND ONE SUCH REPORT POINTS TO A 55-45 PERCENT EMMANUEL MACRON WIN IN AN INITIAL EXIT POLL ESTIMATE.
(2 PM EASTERN US TIME, 8 PM IN FRANCE POLLS CLOSED)
57.60 percent Macron 42.40 percent Le Pen the first estimate tonight....
Five years ago Le Pen finished with 33.90 percent of the vote tonight she appears to have achieved her highest total ever in a Presidential election...
Marine Le Pen has come out 10 minutes after polls closed to offer a concession speech.
There will be legislative elections in France in June the next test for Emmanuel Macron who now enjoys a majority in the National Assembly but there is no guarantee of what economic conditions will be like in June making for a moment where he may be a political loser.
Le Pen speaking tonight indicating a victory in the large number of votes she received in spite of the massive mistrust in the country.
"The result is the testimony of a great mistrust of the French people towards them"
That apparently a reference to the ruling dominant political forces of the "mainstream" in France.
A smiling Marine Le Pen also said during her speech that she harbors no "resentment" in the election outcome.
LE PEN DID WIN THE VOTE IN FRENCH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES IN THE CARRIBEAN WITH SOME ASTOUNDING RESULTS.
SHE LOST FRENCH GUYANA, GUADELOUPE AND MARTINIQUE IN 2017 BY WIDE MARGINS BUT WON ALL THREE TERRITORIES THIS TIME AROUND WITH WIDE MARGINS IN HER FAVOR.
LE PEN 60.7 PERCENT TO 39.3 IN FRENCH GUYANA OVER MACRON 2022 COMPARED TO HER LOSS TO MACRON 35.11 TO 64.89 PERCENT IN 2017.
LE PEN 69.6 PERCENT TO 30.4 PERCENT OVER MACRON 2022 IN GUADELOUPE COMPARED TO HER 24.87 TO 75.13 PERCENT LOSS TO MACRON IN 2017.
LE PEN 60.87 PERCENT TO 39.13 PERCENT OVER MACRON 2022 IN MARTINIQUE COMPARED TO HER 22.45 TO 77.55 PERCRNT LOSS TO MACRON IN 2017.
THOSE TERRITORIES SEVERELY IMPACTED BY COVID WITH TOURISM SHUT DOWN STRONG OPPOSITION IN GUADELOUPE AND MARTINIQUE TO VACCINE PASSPORTS, MANDATES IN RELATION TO COVID.
(430 PM EASTERN US TIME, 1030 PM IN FRANCE)
In France tonight the talk is of blank ballots and spoiled ballots mixed in with the valid ones.
Many politicians proclaiming a "victory" for Macron and a "victory" over the "far-right" tonight.
Emmanuel Macron made his victory speech outdoors on the Champ de Mars with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.
No doubt with the legislative elections in mind, Macron spoke about the environment and 'gender equality' tailoring his message for the Left votes he will need to succeed in June.
Early congratulations to Macron on his victory came from Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
(530 PM EASTERN US TIME, 1130 PM IN FRANCE)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz one of those to offer early congratulations to Emmanuel Macron tonight.
The niece of Marine Le Pen, Marion Marechal, and some other luminaries on the 'Right' in French politics looking to create some new force in French politics.
Marechal broke with her aunt in supporting cable tv host-pundit Eric Zemmour in the first round. Zemmour, by the way, did have a 40 minute phone conversation with President Donald Trump while he was campaigning in the first round vote.
Tonight Marechal and others made their pitch for a some new party of "patriots" for the legislative elections in June.
86 PERCENT OF THE VOTE NOW COUNTED
EMMANUEL MACRON 55.72 PERCENT
MARINE LE PEN 44.28 PERCENT
(1145 PM EASTERN US TIME, 545 AM MONDAY IN FRANCE)
We now have a finalized vote count it is 58.54 percent for Macron and 41.46 percent for Le Pen.
Tonight's result the highest ever vote percentage for Marine Le Pen who won 3 of France's 13 regions and 7 of its 10 overseas territories.
In 2017 she won none of the regions and none of the overseas territories.
US President Joe Biden tweeting congratulations to Macron tonight saying he looks forward to cooperating with Macron on:
"supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change"
That's the story for now. Good Night.
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