French far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Front party will be changing its name.
On Sunday, voters across France flooded to the ballot box to choose a new president in an unusually tense and important election that puts Europe in the balance as pro-business independent Emmanuel Macron and far-right populist Marine Le Pen will become the country's next leader.
Security was tight across France as voters cast their ballots on Sunday. with the the last polling stations closing at 8 p.m. local time (11 a.m. PT).
Before the results came in, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, urged support for Macron in his efforts to create jobs and undermine support for Le Pen.
Voter turnout in the runoff election is above 65 percent in late afternoon, a sharp drop of more than 6 percent compared to the last presidential vote.
At 39, Macron is the youngest person to both run for and hold office in France.
The centrist's victory is a massive relief for European allies who have witnessed a wave of right-wing nationalism including the "Brexit" vote, and the election of Donald Trump.
Macron, a pro-EU, pro-market liberal, and Le Pen, a Euroskeptic with hardline anti-immigrant views, represented diametrically opposed visions for France.
But this year, "there wasn't the "shock" effect, because (Marine Le Pen's) presence was expected", Jadot said.
She said: "The National Front must deeply renew itself in order to rise to the historic opportunity and meet the French people's expectations".
Economic growth slows to 0.7%
Investment as a whole has been somewhat disappointing in this recovery, but the weakness has often been exaggerated. While some of the slowdown may be temporary, inflation is eating into consumers' wallets.
Macron, who topped the first round of the election on April 23, is the runaway favorite however, with polls giving him a lead of more than 20 points over Le Pen.
She also said she had wished Mr Macron success in tackling the "huge challenges" facing him. Paris prosecutors are investigating the attack, a source close to the case said yesterday.
The fate of the European Union may hang in the balance as France's 47 million voters decide whether to risk handing the presidency to Le Pen, who dreams of quitting the bloc and its common currency, or to play it safer with Macron, an unabashed pro-European who wants to strengthen the EU.
If Le Pen wins, she plans to celebrate at the Chalet du Lac in the Bois de Vincennes, a vast park on Paris' eastern edge.
Meanwhile, Le Pen told her supporters during a concession speech that the National Front needed a new start.
"I know the anger, the anxiety, the doubts that very many of you have also expressed".
Unknown three years ago, Macron is now poised to become one of Europe's most powerful leaders, bringing with him a hugely ambitious agenda of political and economic reform for France and the European Union.
But Le Pen's support is also significant. Most notably, Macron has said he will continue working to deregulate a labor system that has been blamed for a French unemployment rate stuck near 10%.
Although Macron labels himself as a centrist who will unite the left and the right, we will have to see what happens.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the French hack, but the government and Mr Macron's team previously accused the Kremlin of trying to meddle in the election - accusations denied in Moscow.
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