39 year-old Macron is new president of France

Emmanuel Macron has gone from political newcomer to French president in just a few years He has promised a new approach to politics but what exactly will his government look like?

Two days before polling day, Emmanuel Macron let slip on French radio that he had someone in mind for prime minister should he win Sunday’s vote.

He did not say who it was, simply tantalising listeners with a vague reference to “someone with experience of politics, and the skills to lead a parliamentary majority”.

But such is the secrecy around his plan for government that it was enough to send the French papers into a spin.

It is a taboo subject even within his campaign team, according to the daily newspaper Le Monde. “It’s like sailors who refuse to say the word ‘rabbit’ in case it brings bad luck,” one unnamed staffer told the paper.

National Front in 2002 and 2017

A tale of two second-round results for the far right:

– In 2002 FN leader Jean-Marie Le Pen lost to Jacque Chirac with about 6.2m votes – 17.8% of the vote

– In 2017, his daughter and successor as party head lost but with a far higher showing. The 34.5% she polled, according to projections, is about 16m votes. BBC