Emmanuel Macron wins Presidential election

Emmanuel Macron will be the next president of France, winning 66.06% of the vote compared to rival to Marine Le Pen’s 33.94% in the second round, official figures have confirmed.

But while the scale of his victory was decisive, the number of abstentions for a second-round Presidential vote was the highest for nearly 50 years at 25%, and the number of 'blanc votes', or spoiled papers which are counted in France and regarded as protest votes, was also a record high at 12.3%.

In a brief statement issued via AFP shortly after the figures were revealed at 8pm, Mr Macron said: "A new page in our long history this evening. I would like it to be one of hope and of confidence rediscovered."

He was due to make a speech later in the evening - but those close to him have said that France will have to wait at least a week before Mr Macron reveals who will become prime minister in his government.

Mr Macron was with family and inner circle at his campaign headquarters at the Louvre when the first results were announced. His campaign team have revealed that rival Mme Le Pen has already contacted Mr Macron to congratulate him. The phone conversation between the two candidates was described as 'brief but cordial'.

The 39 year old Mr Macron, who has never before held elected office, will become France's youngest-ever head of state. Little more than a year ago, his party En Marche! did not exist.

The French system of early results is generally highly accurate. Votes from about 200 early-closing polling stations, from representative rural areas and small towns, are counted and collated. These early numbers are fed into a sophisticated computer programme that then extrapolates a national picture from these early figures.

The final figure may change, but the early numbers are usually within a percentage point of the ultimate result.