Valérie Pécresse, the conservative candidate who crashed out in the first round of the French presidential election, has urged people to vote for incumbent Emmanuel Macron.
Should his challenger in the run-off, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, come to power, there would be "disastrous consequences for the country and for future generations," Pécresse said in Paris.
France would then be wiped off the European and international stage, said the 54-year-old candidate for the Republicans, who according to projections only managed around 5%.
"The result is a personal and collective disappointment. I take personal responsibility for this defeat," Pécresse said. She had to fight on two fronts, on the one hand in President Macron's electoral camp and on the other hand on the extreme right fringe. The voters had chosen a practical vote for a candidate with a chance of success.
