On the initial figures of an abstention of 25.3 percent, 12 percent blanc votes (of votes cast), and 65.1 percent Macron to 34.9 percent to Le Pen (of valid votes), the absolute numbers are:
Electorate - 47.6 million
Abstaining - 12 million
Blanc votes - 4.2 million
Macron 20.33 million
Le Pen 10.95 million
The abstention rate cannot be interepreted as in the United States, where we assume people are uninvolved or uninformed. The French population is highly politicized and this is a record low turn out, the lowest since 1969, and a record high for blanc votes.
If this holds, then Le Pen will have increased by a little over 3 million votes from the first round.
Bad. But compared with polling, an advance which has been held back - with people going to abstain and vote nul instead.
From this moment the left reappears formally in the political process with the National Assembly elections.
Already there is a protest in Paris tomorrow afternoon against the social offensive Macron plans.
Le Pen ended her campaign with anti-fascist protests besieging her in Reims.
There is a huge challenge for friends on the French left and for the French working class movement.
But all who made an anti-FN argument these last two weeks can feel proud of themselves. Those who resisted also the cynical drive to collapse the left behind Macron can feel especially vindicated. They, and Melenchon and Poutou from the radical and anti-capitalist left were right.
Macron has less than 42 percent of the votes of adults in France. Fifteen years ago Chirac had 62 percent of them.
This is a weak position for an incoming president.
The headlines cannot be that neoliberalism is the way to beat reaction.
They in every country will have to reflect the reality - that people oppose Le Pen and fascism, but want better than Macron offers. Indeed, they know they will clash with Macron.
That includes Macron voters, 60 percent of whom went to him only to stop Le Pen.
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