Ф
Ranch President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected for a second term tonight after defeating his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen.
Mr Macron, the 44-year-old centrist, won 58 per cent of the vote, beating Ms Le Pen, 53, by 42 per cent, according to exit polls.
In an ambitious victory speech under the Eiffel Tower, Mr Macron said: “I am no longer a candidate for the party. I am the president of all! ”
He acknowledged that France was “full of anger and division”, but promised: “No one will be left out”.
Mr. Macron arrived at a rally on the Field of Mars an hour and a half after the announcement of the result.
With enthusiastic shouts and applause, he held hands with his wife, Brigitte Macron, while Beethoven’s Ode, the anthem of the European Union, exploded through the loudspeakers.
Ascending the stage with a huge screen behind it, he said: “Thank you, dear friends, fellow citizens, here tonight in Paris and everywhere in France and our overseas territories and abroad, above all, let Mesay thank you.
“After five years of difficult but happy transformation and exception, this date caused – April 24, 2024 – the majority of us chose me to fly the Republic for the next five years.
Dressed in his preserved blue suit and tie, he continued: “Together we can make France more independent and Europe stronger. By unleashing our creativity, we can make France a great, green nation.
“I know that many people voted for me tonight, not because of my ideals, but to block the far right. I am entrusted with their sense of duty for the next five years. “
He added to the boos that he was “thinking of Mrs Le Pen and her supporters”, but added: “No boos, I don’t want to hear that.
“Because from now on I am no longer a candidate for the party. I am the president of all.
“I understand the anger that made people vote on the far right, it will be my responsibility.
He said: “Our own project is humanistic, for the whole republic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson quickly congratulated his French counterpart on Twitter: “Congratulations on your re-election as President of France.
“France is one of the closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues that matter most to our two countries and to the world. ”
Marine Le Pen conceded defeat
/ AFP via Getty Images
Acknowledging the defeat, Ms Le Pen told her supporters at the headquarters of her campaign in Paris: “We could see a great wind of freedom going around this country, but the French people said otherwise.
“When we see the election results tonight, we can still say that we have won. Millions have voted for us and I want to thank everyone.
Saying that her National Rally party will remain a counterweight to Mr Macron, Ms Le Pen said: “Those who voted for me in the overwhelming majority in this second round – I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. We will continue to protect the citizens of France like never before. “
As Macron prepared to celebrate with a rally near the Eiffel Tower, supporters in Paris could be heard chanting “Five more years!
Supporters reacted after the victory of French President Macron
/ AFP via Getty Images
Mr Macon was to celebrate on the historic Field of Mars under the blue and yellow flag of the European Union, as well as under the French tricolor.
Preparing to take a proud place next to him was his wife, 69-year-old retired teacher Brigitte Macron.
By 7pm on Sunday, the turnout of people eligible to vote in the second round of Macron-Le Pen was just 72 per cent – the lowest since 1969.
This was the year in which Charles de Gaulle resigned as head of state, and only 69% turned to vote for Georges Pompidou.
The abstention rate this year was 2.6% higher than in 2017, when Macron first defeated Ms Le Pen to seal her first term.
A Macron supporter reacted after the victory
/ AFP via Getty Images
Mr Macron is a staunch supporter of the EU and now hopes to become the bloc’s de facto leader following the retirement of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He will also prepare for more disputes with the British on a number of issues, including the migrant boat crisis and the English Channel.
Although constantly conducting opinion polls, Macron warned of a possible defeat comparable to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidency.
Macron – who once compared Britain’s democratic vote to leave the EU as a “crime” – also suggested that low turnout may have taken him to power.
Just before his re-election, Macron said, “We need to get used to far-right ideas.”
He acknowledged that Ms. Le Pen’s party – the National Rally – had increased its share of the vote since 2017, when he defeated Ms. Le Pen by a sharp 66 percent.
But he also said Ms. Le Pen was unable to replace him because her party was still returning money to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
“War is raging on the continent,” he said during a televised debate last Wednesday before snarling at Ms. Le Pen. “Actually, you are in Russia’s grip.”
Mr Macron also warned that Ms Le Pen risked a “civil war” with plans to ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public and Jewish men from wearing statues.
Ms Le Pen, in turn, described the former banker-trader and financial civil servant as a “president of the rich” who was “despised and very arrogant”.
Mr. Macron uses his own initials to create En Marche! (On the move!) His own political movement since 2016 and is independent of any established party.
Ms. Le Pen changed the name of her family party, the National Front, to a National Rally in 2018 to try to soften her extremist image.
It was founded in 1972 by her father, a convicted racist and Holocaust denier, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Mr Le Pen, now 93, was second in France’s 2002 presidential election and continued to run in the election until 2012.
This suggests that his daughter will also continue to insist on entering the Elysee Palace and is not thinking of retiring.
Mr Macron will now serve as France’s head of state until 2027, a period that will include the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The presidents have only two terms, which means that Macron – the youngest head of state in modern French history – is likely to retire from politics before his 50th birthday.
His immediate predecessors as president – Socialist Francois Hollande and Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy – were forced to step down after one term.
Add Comment