According to the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior of France, after 97 percent of the votes were counted, incumbent President Emmanuel Macron is ahead in Sunday presidential election in the country, with 27.6% of the votes.

The leader of the right-wing National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, is second, with 23.41 percent.

Voter turnout in the first round was 74.84 percent.

Most of the candidates left out of the presidential race in the first round have called on their supporters to support Macron in the runoff, Euronews reported.

None of the candidates managed to win in the first round by gaining more than 50 percent of the votes.

The presidential runoff is slated for April 24.