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This week’s R&D from Prepd covers the first round of the French presidential election, which took place on Sunday.  President Emmanuel Macron won 27.8% of the vote, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen won 23.1%.  Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon made a furious charge at the end and captured 22% of ballots.  Since no candidate earned a majority, Macron and Le Pen will face off in a runoff round on April 24.  This will be a rematch from 2017 where Macron won in a landslide.  Political observers predict a close vote as Le Pen could pull votes from other right-wing candidates that did not qualify for the runoff, as well as leftist voters who are dissatisfied with Macron’s leadership.