French presidential election: Who is Emmanuel Macron?

The young and telegenic independent candidate has become the unexpected frontrunner in the election - but who is he and how did his meteoric rise come about?

Early Life

Born in Amiens in northern France in December 1977, Emmanuel Macron is the son of a doctor and a neurology professor.

Mr Macron gained degrees in philosophy and public affairs in Paris before attending the elite National School of Administration (which counts Francois Hollande among its graduates).

He joined the civil service in 2004 and quit for a job with Rothschild investment bank in 2008.

Reportedly becoming a millionaire, he left in 2012 for a senior position in Mr Hollande's staff, deputy secretary-general at the Elysee Palace.

His climb up the establishment ladder continued in 2014 when then prime minister Manuel Valls made him minister for the economy.

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Party - En Marche!

Mr Macron's bid for the presidency began last year when he ditched Mr Hollande's Socialist Party and established his own independent movement, En Marche! (On the Move).

He recruited thousands of volunteers to knock on doors during the summer to hear people's ideas and opinions and En Marche! has whipped up impressive support.

Its website boasts that more than 200,000 members have joined in under a year.

Mr Macron's rallies are usually 'sell-outs' and better attended than his rivals'. The Lyon event that kicked off his campaign pulled in an estimated 8,000 people, with thousands more outside.

Mr Macron's surge and his belief in the EU and a strong Europe has made him a "fake news" target for Russian media , his party chief claims.

Richard Ferrand says there have been "hundreds if not thousands" of Russia-based hacking attacks on the party's computers.

Mr Macron's strategy is to target the centre ground.

He has painted himself as the candidate for those disillusioned with the traditional left-right split in French politics.

He told supporters: "I am not going to say that the left or right is meaningless, that they are the same thing, but are these divisions not a hurdle?

"I want to reconcile the two Frances that have been growing apart for too long."

Mr Macron found himself in a commanding position in large part because of a scandal surrounding previous presidential favourite, right-wing candidate Francois Fillon.

The Socialists opting for hard-left candidate Benoit Hamon also helped broaden his appeal.

If elected

Mr Macron's manifesto was not released until early March - and unsurprisingly contains pro-business measures in the hope of boosting the economy, such as cutting corporate tax by 33% to 25%

But it also contains a payroll tax cut for low-paid workers and a promise they would be exempt from some social welfare levies - a measure said to amount to an extra month's wage.

Some €50bn in public investment is on the cards over five years.

Mr Macron believes this could be offset by €60bn of public spending savings via channels such as a lower unemployment benefit bill (based on reducing joblessness to 7%) and cutting 120,000 civil service and local government posts.

With security a major issue after devastating terror attacks in Paris and Nice, Mr Macron would also hire 10,000 police officers and raise the defence budget to 2%.

There would also be 15,000 extra prison places.

On education, he would hire 5,000 teachers and half class sizes to 12 pupils in primary schools in low-income zones.

Mobile phones would be banned in schools for pupils aged up to about 15, but 18-year-olds would get a €500 "culture pass" to spend at cinemas, the theatre and concerts.

A merger of the many public and private sector pension schemes is also one of Mr Macron's key policies, as well as a merger of unemployment benefit schemes that currently differ for regular workers and the self-employed.

If Mr Macron manages to get the keys to the Elysee, one of his first phone calls would likely be to Donald Trump - and it could be an awkward one.

Mr Macron put a video on Twitter in February appealing for US researchers and engineers working on climate change to come to France.

He said: "I do know how your new president now has decided to jeopardise your budget, your initiatives - as he's extremely sceptical about climate change... please come to France, you are welcome."

He also had an apparent dig at Mr Trump at his Lyon rally, telling supporters: "I don't want to build a wall. I can assure you there's no wall in my programme. Can you remember the Maginot Line?"

Who is backing him?

Having got through round one Mr Macron has received support from across the political divide in France.

Socialist candidate Mr Hamon urged his supporters to back Mr Macron against Marine Le Pen.

Mr Hamon said: "I am calling to beat the National Front, to beat the far-right by voting for Emmanuel Macron even if the latter does not belong to the left and has no desire to represent it tomorrow.

"I am making a clear distinction between a political adversary and an enemy of the republic."

The conservative candidate, Mr Fillon, also called on supporters of his Les Republicains party to back Mr Macron.

He told supporters at a rally in Paris: "There is no other choice but to vote against the far right, I will vote for Emmanuel Macron."

:: Who is Marine Le Pen

Did you know?

Mr Macron married his former high school teacher, more than 20 years his senior, in 2007 and now has three stepchildren and seven step-grandchildren.

Mr Macron has also laughed off rumours of a gay affair with a French media boss, saying: "If you're told I lead a double life... it's because my hologram has escaped."

He is also said to be an excellent pianist who could have made a living out of his musical talent.

Slogan

His party's name, En Marche! (On the Move), is a slogan in itself.

Its website also urges people to get on board with the upbeat message: "Imagine where we'll be in a year."