France turned its back on the country's two main political parties for the first time in more than half a century Sunday after showing support at the polls for independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right hopeful Marine Le Pen.
Having amassed 23.9 percent and 21.4 percent of votes respectively, Macron and Le Pen's gains came at the loss of the traditional conservative and socialist parties, who crashed out of the first round for the first time since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958. Macron and Le Pen will now face a tete-a-tete in the second round runoff on May 7.
With the future of the EU in the balance, CNBC takes a look at the global media reaction to the result.
Le Figaro
French daily morning newspaper Le Figaro led with the "knockout" of the traditional conservative candidate Francois Fillon, describing the loss as a "historic defeat for the right".
Liberation
Liberation, the Paris-based daily, repurposed the name of Macron's En Marche movement, calling the win a step forward for the 39-year-old former-investment banker.
L'Humanite
Left-leaning French daily L'Humanite opted for a photo of Le Pen obscuring her own campaign poster and the headline 'Jamais' - 'Never'.
It also showed clear support for far-left hopeful Jean-Luc Melenchon, who was knocked out in the first round, describing his 19.5 percent gain as hope for the future.
Le Parisien
Covering local and international news, Le Parisien called Macron's rise in popularity a "sensation" in a 15-page election special edition.
El Pais
As Le Pen's anti-EU policies threaten to undermine the future of the union, El Pais was one of many media outlets across Europe to focus on the result.
The Spanish periodical focused on moves by defeated candidates Fillon and Benoit Hamon to throw support behind Macron, running the headline 'Macron receives support from his rivals to stop Le Pen'.
The Guardian
British daily The Guardian called the upcoming final runoff between Macron and Le Pen as a "blow to establishment" and a sign of the political divide within France.
TWEET 6
Financial Times
The Financial Times showed a face-off between the two presidential finalists and also drew on the demise of establishment politics.
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal said that fears over a break-up of the EU had been defused somewhat by Macron's lead over eurosceptic Le Pen.
However, the real test will come in the second round, when economic tactics are likely to come to the fore, it noted.