Far-right Le Pen concedes defeat, calls results a 'brilliant victory'; incumbent would become the first French president in 20 years to win another five years in office

Despite polls showing French president heading toward reelection, there is concern that low turnout, leftist disillusionment could still see far-right challenger prevail

Le Pen has softened her public image, but top priority of her program is to prioritize French citizens over migrants, as Macron tries to eat away at same base

Little cordiality shown in bruising 3-hour exchange, with incumbent repeatedly seeking to land punches over far-right challenger's record on Russia, while she focused on gov't ills

CRIF and Consistoire have become increasingly partisan over past decade, leading to criticism of their positions in some circles

Far-right presidential candidate says animals should be stunned to reduce suffering, which is incompatible with kosher and halal rules

Incumbent wins initial round with 27.85% to far-right candidate's 23.15%

Incumbent leads far-right candidate by several percentage points in first round; is set to focus more on campaigning, in bid to find election momentum that has so far eluded him

Analysts believe French president will come out ahead of far-right candidate by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the two going to a second round vote on April 24

Her positions haven't changed on immigration and national identity, expert says, but she's using 'a different vocabulary' around cherished French values like secularism, feminism