French presidential election: How the vote came to be so split in 1st round

This new, puzzle-like dispersion of voter support isn't good news for governability of the country

Four numbers illustrate just how divided France now is: 23, 22, 20, 19. They’re the percentage of votes obtained by the four top finishers (Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, François Fillon and Jean-Luc Mélenchon respectively), in the first round of the 2017 French presidential election, held on April 23. Eliminated were the two major political parties that have alternated running the country since the foundation of the Fifth Republic in 1958 – together, the left-wing Socialist Party and right-wing Les Republicains gathered just 26% of the votes cast.

Three of the four top candidates that stand out in this unprecedented contest