Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, won his second term in office in the runoff election after defeating his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen. Both candidates held sharply different views on matters regarding domestic issues and France’s role in Europe, the NATO alliance, and the rest of the world. Macron supports erupted with joy and pleasure yesterday as the results appeared on a giant screen at Eiffel tower.
Emmanuel Macron won another term in office, defeating his far-right opponent Le Pen by a prominent margin in a runoff election. Leaders across the world congratulated Macron on his second term in office. The Ukrainian president also congratulated him and called him a true friend. pic.twitter.com/DUznpq9Ih2
— Live News Now (@LiveNewsNow6) April 25, 2022
On the other hand, leaders in London, Brussels, and Berlin welcomed his defeat of the nationalist, Eurosceptic Le Pen. According to the figures of the Interior Ministry of France, with approximately all votes counted, Macron was on his way to a clear and solid 58.6% vote. The far-right National Rally party candidate received around 41.4% of the votes, the highest in her last three unsuccessful presidential bids.
Despite Le Pen’s loss, she said her significant vote share still marked a victory. She told reporters that National Rally’s represented ideas had reached new heights. Le Pen took over her father’s party in 2011 to make it electable. In addition, she won over thirteen million votes this election on a platform of tax cuts to fight against the high cost of living, a referendum on immigration controls, and a ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf publicly.
The reaction of Europe and the United States to the French Presidential Elections
European leaders welcomed Macron’s victory because he fought against a far-right candidate offering a series of anti-European Union policies. Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, was the first to congratulate Macron, singling out their common challenge in responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Likewise, United States President Joe Biden released a statement looking forward to closing cooperation, including supporting Ukraine and its forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Macron as a true friend and said he looked forward to a united and strong Europe. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, also congratulated Macron on his victory in the presidential election. Johnson tweeted that France is one of the closest and most important allies of the U.K. He also assured to continue working together with Macron on the issues that matter most to both nations and the world.
Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two