French Voters in Africa Back Macron, Reject Le Pen

French expatriates in Africa overwhelmingly backed centrist Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the country’s presidential election on Sunday, according to preliminary results seen by Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Voters in seven African countries—Algeria, Benin, Central African Republic (CAR), Guinea, Madagascar, Morocco and Rwanda—all backed former economy minister Macron.

There was a split among French voters in Africa over the second-placed candidate. In Algeria, Morocco and Rwanda, the leftwing outsider Jean-Luc Melenchon was immediately behind Macron, whereas in Benin, CAR, Guinea and Madagascar, the conservative Republican candidate Francois Fillon fared better.

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