FRANCE’S communists called on the country yesterday to “block Marine Le Pen’s road to the presidency” as first round results put centrist Emmanuel Macron in the lead.

Former finance minister Mr Macron had won around 24 per cent of the vote to far-right Ms Le Pen’s 21.5 per cent, setting them up for the May 7 run-off.

Paris Grand Mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur urged Muslims to vote “massively” for Mr Macron, warning of the “threat embodied by xenophobic ideas dangerous to our cohesion.”