Disaster for Macron in elections after being slapped by voter on campaign trail while far-right Le Pen also tanks

EMMANUEL Macron's bid to win a second presidential term has suffered a humiliating setback after his party racked up less than 10 per cent of the vote in regional elections.

The embarrassing episode comes weeks after the French president was face slapped by a voter while chatting with supporters during a walkabout.

In shocking footage of the outburst, the French leader - dressed in a white shirt and a black face mask - could be seen walking towards a crowd of well-wishers who were stood behind a metal barrier, in the village of Tain-l'Hermitage.

The French president reached out his hand to greet a voter, dressed in the green t-shirt - but he grabbed his arm and slapped him in the face after shouting "Down with Macronia!".

The 28-year-old, known as Damien Tarel, has been banned from holding public office in France and from owning weapons for five years over the swipe.

Sunday's vote was a massive upset for Macron, who has his eye on bagging another five years at the Élysée Palace, and his longtime foe and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

French conservatives Les Republicains were the biggest winners on Sunday night.

The party claimed to have "broken the jaw" of Le Pen’s party, which was banking on making huge gains across the country before challenging Macron in next year's elections.

Le Pen's party received 19 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls out Sunday night - a drop of nine per cent compared to the last regional elections in 2015.

Meanwhile, LREM failed to win more than 10 per cent of the vote in many regions.

Le Pen was quick to point fingers at poor voter turn out for her party's disappointing results as less than one in three voters made it to the polls.

Rallying her supporters ahead of next week's second-round ballot, Le Pen said voters had "a duty to react" to Macron's handling of immigration, Covid-19 and a range of other deep-seated issues.

"You must vote. If you do not vote for your ideas, your voice no longer counts. Everything is possible, as long as you decide: go to the polls, patriots!" she said.

In the Hauts-de-France region, Les Republicains candidate Xavier Bertrand beat the NR party candidate by almost double the vote - winning 44 per cent to the NR's 24 per cent.

In a celebration speech, Bertrand - who is set to run for President - reflected on the tides of change gripping his country.

"Five years ago we came second in the first round, but this time the inhabitants of Hauts-de-France have clearly placed us in the lead," he said.

"I would like to thank those who have shown their confidence in us," the presidential hopeful said, adding that "we have broken the jaw of the National Rally".

But with a record low voter turnout of less than 35 per cent, the President will at least be pleased that NR had not made any kind of breakthrough.

Low turnout normally favours extremist parties such as Le Pen’s, but it did not work in her favour this time.

Macron went head-to-head with Le Pen when he won the presidential election of 2017, and he will now be hoping to do the same thing in 2022.

The second round of regional elections in France take place next Sunday.

Beyond choosing regional councils, voters are also choosing representatives to run more than 100 departements – the French equivalent of counties.

The record-low turnout was "especially worrying", said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in a tweet.