MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the preliminary results provided by the French Interior Ministry, Sunday's first round of the French presidential election ended with Macron leading with 23.86 percent of votes and Le Pen trailing slightly behind with 21.43 percent. According to the ministry, with these results they both qualify for the run-off election, to be held on May 7.
"Le Pen qualified for the second round; she may have scored less in percentage terms than was expected but it is frightening that she still got 7.6 million votes," Moscovici said, as quoted by The Daily Mail.
France's former finance minister welcomed the victory of Macron in the first round of the election, however, it is too early to sigh with relief, as the election is not over yet, he said.
Moscovici added he believed Le Pen would not win the run-off election to become the next French president but he expressed concerns that she could receive up to 40 percent of votes.
"That would show a country deeply divided and we must remain on guard — we must not claim victory yet, we must fight against the false claims of the FN," the EU commissioner urged.
During the presidential race, Moscovici has repeatedly praised the pro-European views of Macron. He also has said that if Le Pen wins the election, it will be "the end of European project."
Le Pen repeatedly expressed the idea of France's withdrawal from the European Union during her presidential campaign. The FN leader's position has caused concerns of many experts citing negative effects of such a move for the bloc's economy and the euro.
