File photo taken on April 23, 2017 shows Emmanuel Macron, French presidential candidate for the On the Move (En Marche) movement, greeting his supporters at a rally after the first round of French presidential election in Paris, France. Macron, with 65.9 percent of vote, beats Le Pen in French runoff Presidential vote on Sunday, according to polling agency projections. (Xinhua/Jose Rodriguez)
Centrist former economy minister Emmanuel Macron has won the French presidential election, defeating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in Sunday's runoff vote, making him the youngest president in France's modern history, according to polling agency projections.
The projections indicate that Macron garnered between 65 to 66.1 percent of votes, and Le Pen between 33.9 to 35 percent.
Official results with more details, to be published in days by the Constitutional Council, are for sure to be in accordance with the current estimation.
Thousands of the independent winner's supporters gathered in high spirit at the courtyard outside the Louvre Museum in central Paris where a grand celebration for his victory has been planned for the whole night.
The joyful crowd waved French and the European Union (EU) flags, mirroring Macron's pro-EU position and vision for the European integration.
"A new page of history is starting today. I want this page to be one of hope and trust," said Macron in a winning speech in his En Marche! (On the Move!) movement's headquarters.
"It's a great honor and a great responsibility... I will do everything I can to not let you down," he added with a stern tone.
"My responsibility will be to ease fears. My responsibility will be to unite all the women and men ready to face the gigantic challenges that await us," he said.
Macron then joined his supporters outside the Louvre Museum, where he also delivered a passionate speech calling for braveness and unity.
Addressing the supporters of his far-right rival, he said he will do everything he can in the next five year to ensure that "they have no reason to vote for the extreme parties."
After an unprecedented tense campaign tainted by scandals and public discontent, the ex-investment banker won his bet to snatch the five-year presidency via a political earthquake which has ended decades of domination by France's two mainstream political parties.
Unknown until three years ago, the rising political star proposed a democratic front which included, as he said, new, talented and innovative faces regardless their political parties to build a strong France and further cement cooperative ties with Europe.
Just a year after establishing his own political movement, the 39-year-old president-elect said "I respect and understand the anger that many of you have expressed" and "will fight with all my strength against the division that is undermining and taking us down."
Le Pen, who had been bidding to make history as France's first female and far-right president, conceded her defeat but hailed "a historic result" that can make her anti-establishment National Front (FN) party "the biggest opposition group in France."
"France has voted for continuity," she told supporters after early projections were released, adding she wished Macron luck "in the face of the immense challenges that await him."
In a brief concession speech, Le Pen said she wants to create a new political force, calling on "all French patriots" to join her.
"The National Front must deeply renew itself in order to rise to the historic opportunity and meet the French people's expectations," she said, proposing "to start this profound transformation in order to "make a new political force for the upcoming legislative election."
The 48-year-old lawyer followed in the footsteps of her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded FN and reached the second round of the presidential election in 2002. He was defeated by then president Jacques Chirac after voters from the left and the right rallied around the latter.
Fifteen years later, Le Pen, despite the presidency defeat, gained widespread support by smoothing the image of the anti-immigrant party and styling herself as the candidate who defends the French interests against liberalism.
As the presidential contest is over, eyes are now on the two-round parliamentary election in June to see whether the new head of state can have the political muscle to deliver on reformist projects he had been campaigning for months.
Voters will return to polling station in June 11 to 18 to pick their representatives in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
Addressing his supporters in front of the Louvre Museum, Macron said he's confident about forming a "true and strong majority" in the legislative body.
