Marine Le Pen votes in first round of French presidential elections in Henin Beaumont

Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen voted in the first round of the French presidential elections, in the northern town of Henin Beaumont.

Le Pen, heir to the far-right National Front party founded by her father, Jean-Marie, appears to have successfully smoothed out her image, and in doing so has positioned herself within striking range of the presidency.

A survey by Atlas Politico on Thursday showed Le Pen edging out Macron by 50.5 per cent to 49.5 per cent in a hypothetical second-round match-up.

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