France election: five key takeaways and moments ahead

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 Elysee Palace for the next five years.