In a small French village, Le Pen threatens Macron's re-election

Parents pick up their children from the school in Gouzon, the day after the first round of the 2022 French presidential election, France, April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

GOUZON, France (Reuters) - At a bar in Gouzon, a village in central France, a few locals gathered on Monday to read news of the first round of voting in the presidential election, which saw incumbent Emmanuel Macron through to face far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in a run-off.

The brasserie's owner, William Levron, 53, was pleased with local results: though Macron came out narrowly ahead nationally, here Le Pen led with almost 31% of votes cast on Sunday. Macron gathered only 20%, while Leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and conservative Valerie Pecresse were at 14% and 13% respectively.