Emmanuel Macron has beaten Marine Le Pen in the presidential runoff and will serve another term as president of France. Reliable projections put Macron on course for 58% to Le Pen’s 41%. Find out how the race is unfolding live department by department.

Live coverage and reaction

The election on Sunday 24 April is a runoff to decide between the first two candidates from the first round of voting on 10 April. Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen topped that earlier poll.

Centrist’s backers say voters still need convincing his policies are best for them ahead of presidential runoff

Senior political allies of Emmanuel Macron have lined up to warn against complacency in France’s presidential race, saying the incumbent is not certain to win despite polls indicating his lead over his far-right challenger, Marine Le Pen, is widening.

“The game isn’t done and dusted and we certainly cannot draw the conclusion … that this election is already decided,” the French prime minister, Jean Castex, told French radio, five days before Sunday’s second round runoff.

Rights groups call for united front against far-right candidate as polls predict a win for centrist Emmanuel Macron

Protests were expected around France on Saturday as opponents of the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to form a united front to prevent her from winning an election runoff against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on 24 April.

Police warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convened in 30 cities.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen face tense runoff after first round of voting in presidential race

• Macron v Le Pen: who are the candidates in the French election runoff?

A lacklustre French presidential election campaign overshadowed first by the Covid pandemic and then by the war in Ukraine has exploded into life, propelling Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen into what looks like being a brutal runoff.

Here are five key takeaways from the first round of voting as France and wider Europe brace for a nervous two weeks before the deciding 24 April vote that will determine who occupies the Élysée Palace for the next five years.

Follow the latest updates as projections predict a run-off between president, Emmanuel Macron, and Marine Le Pen, from the far-right National Rally

• Live results: French election 2022
• Full report: Macron on 28% to Le Pen’s 23% in projected first round results
• Analysis: calls begin for voters to block far-right Le Pen

Plenty of Macron merch on offer for those at the outgoing president’s post-vote pep talk:

The abstention rate, likely to prove crucial in this election, is likely to be between 25% and 26.5 %, according to French pollsters – higher than in the previous 2017 first round (22.2%), but not at 2002’s record level of 28.4 %.

Emmanuel Macron is asking French voters for another term as president. The far right’s Marine Le Pen, and 10 others, are challenging him. Find out the latest results department by department

Live blog: latest developments and reaction

The French president is elected by a direct vote. There is no electoral college, and no involvement of parliament. A candidate who wins more than 50% of the popular vote is elected. If, as seems likely, no candidate wins that majority in the first round, the top two candidates go through to a run-off election two weeks later, on April 24.