National Front leader is dropping both party and family affiliations or what carried her all the way to the second round of France's presidential election this Sunday in a last-ditch effort to win.

In a historic departure from 30 years of alternating between the country's parties on the left and right, the French have voted out the old guard and chosen two candidates who have little experience governing in the first round of presidential election voting, Michelle Gagnon writes from Paris.

France's centre-right party Les Rpublicains abandons the centre to elect free market, social conservative candidate Franois Fillon as party leader and presidential hopeful.