Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has warned that France's "survival is at stake" in a speech made shortly after securing the second-highest number of votes in the first round of the country's presidential election on Sunday.

France could not hope for change to come with the "heir" of current French president, Francois Hollande, said the National Front candidate whose vote count came within 2 percent of the leading candidate, the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, according to exit polls released Sunday evening.

Le Pen called on "all patriots" to support her in the final round of the election, scheduled for Sunday May 7, in the speech made to her supporters gathered at Henin-Beaumont, where she had watched the initial poll results come in.