French Presidential Hopeful Macron Likely to Hold Rally in Paris on May 1

French presidential candidate and founder of En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron is likely to hold rally for his supporters in Paris on May 1 ahead of the run-off election early next month, local media reported Monday.

PARIS (Sputnik) — Macron will organize seven or eight public events ahead of the second round of the May 7 presidential election, with a major rally in Paris currently being coordinated, the France Info news outlet reported, citing the sources close to the centrist candidate.

Earlier in the day, French media reported that Macron's rival, leader of the far-right National Front (FN) party Marine Le Pen, is planning to hold two similar gatherings of her supporters: the first in Nice on Thursday, and the second in the Paris suburb of Villepinte on May 1, traditionally timed to the Labour Day celebrations.

According to the preliminary results provided by the French Interior Ministry, Sunday's first round of the French presidential election left Macron leading with 23.86 percent of vote and Le Pen trailing slightly behind with 21.43 percent. According to the ministry, these figures qualify both candidates for the run-off election.