Paris – French President Emmanuel Macron successfully won re-election for a second term on Sunday, according to opinion polls. In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the result offered the European Union an assurance of the stability of its leadership in the bloc’s only nuclear power and was immediately welcomed by France’s allies.
Centrist Macron’s second five-year term saves France and its allies from seismic upheavals from the transfer of power during the war to Macron’s populist rival Marine Le Pen, who quickly conceded defeat on Sunday night but still looks on her way to the best a presentation so far on its fierce nationalist far-right policy.
During his campaign, Le Pen promised to blur France’s ties with the 27-nation EU, NATO and Germany, moves that would shake Europe’s security architecture as the continent grapples with its worst conflict since World War II. Le Pen also spoke out against EU sanctions on Russia’s energy supplies and faced control during the campaign over his previous friendship with the Kremlin.
Supporters react after the victory of French President Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election at the Champ de Mars in Paris on April 24, 2022. Bertrand Guay / AFP via Getty Images
A chorus of European leaders hailed Macron’s victory. “Democracy wins, Europe wins,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
“Together we will make France and Europe move forward,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi hailed Macron’s victory as “great news for the whole of Europe” and a boost to the EU “to be a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our time, starting with the war in Ukraine”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also tweeted a congratulatory message in French, calling Macron a “true friend of Ukraine.”
Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron, a friend of Ukraine, for the show! I love new successes for the good people u. J’apprécie son soutien et je suis convaincu que nous avançons ensemble vers de nouvelles victoires communes. For a strong Europe and a union!
– Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) April 24, 2022
With more than three-quarters of the vote, Macron leads 55% to 45% for Le Pen. Sociological agencies predicted that after all the votes were counted, the difference in Macron’s victory would be well over 10 points, albeit smaller than when they first faced in 2017.
Macron is the first French president in 20 years to win re-election after incumbent President Jacques Chirac beat Le Pen’s father in 2002.
Le Pen called his results a “brilliant victory”, saying that “in this defeat I cannot help but feel a form of hope”.
Breaking the threshold of 40% of the vote is unprecedented for the French far right. Le Pen was defeated by 66% to 34% of Macron in 2017, and her father received less than 20% against Chirac.
French President Emmanuel Macron leaves the voting booth at a polling station in Le Touquet, France, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Gonzalo Fuentes / AP
She and hard-line leader Jean-Luc Melanchon, one of the 10 candidates eliminated in the first round on April 10, quickly moved forward on Sunday night to the French parliamentary elections in June, calling on voters to give them a parliamentary majority. to hit Macron.
This time, Le Pen’s result rewarded her many years of efforts to make her far-right policy more acceptable to voters. Leading a vigorous campaign on the cost of living, she has launched deep raids among blue-collar voters in disgruntled rural communities and former industrial centers.
The decline in support for Macron compared to five years ago shows that a tough battle is ahead for the president to unite the people behind him in his second term. Many French voters found the presidential rematch in 2022 less convincing than in 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor.
Left-wing voters – unable to identify with either the centrist president or Le Pen’s fiercely nationalist platform – often feel the agony of Sunday’s election. Some were reluctant to go to the polls just to stop Le Pen, giving gloomy votes to Macron.
“It was the worst choice,” said Stephanie David, a transport logisticsman who backed a communist candidate in the first round.
This was an impossible choice for pensioner Jean-Pierre Roux. After also voting for communists in the first round, he dropped an empty envelope in Sunday’s ballot box, repulsed by both Le Pen’s policies and what he saw as Macron’s arrogance.
“I’m not against his ideas, but I can’t stand this man,” Roo said.
In contrast, Marian Arbre, who voted in Paris, voted for Macron, “to avoid a government that turns out to be fascist, racist.”
“There is a real risk,” the 29-year-old worried.
Macron entered the poll with a significant lead in opinion polls, but faced a torn, anxious and tired electorate. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic shattered Macron’s first term, as well as months of violent protests against his economic policies.
Addressing working-class voters struggling with rising prices, Le Pen vowed that cutting the cost of living would be her priority, and said Macron’s presidency had left the country deeply divided.
Macron has sought to attract voters from immigrant backgrounds and religious minorities, especially because of Le Pen’s proposed policy of targeting Muslims and putting French citizens first for work and benefits. He also highlighted his achievements in the field of environment and climate, hoping to attract young voters who supported left-wing candidates in the first round of voting.
Add Comment