Emmanuel Macron, the first sitting French president to be re-elected in 20 years, has been re-elected as President of France. Mr. Macron, a centrist, won 58.5% of the vote in the second round of voting, defeating nationalist-populist Marine Le Pen.
Emmanuel Macron has won France’s presidential election, defeating far-right rival Marine Le Pen in a historic runoff vote on Sunday.
Macron received 58.5 percent of the vote on Sunday, becoming the first French president to be re-elected in 20 years. After coming first and second among the 12 candidates who participated in the first round on April 10, he and Le Pen went to the runoff. Even though the election was a replay of the 2017 French presidential runoff, much of Europe watched it with anxiety.
A Le Pen president would have radically changed France’s relationship with the European Union and the West at a time when the union and its allies look to Paris to lead the way in addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues, most notably the war in Ukraine.
Although Macron’s vision of a globalized, economically liberal France at the head of a strong European Union triumphed against Le Pen’s vision of a drastic inward shift, the 41.5 % of people who voted for her brought the French far-right closer to the presidency than ever before.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the radical leftist candidate, finished third in the first round of voting with 21.95 percent of the vote, and Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen hope to persuade left-wing voters that they are better positioned to address calls for social justice and preserve France’s generous welfare state.
The presidency is France’s most powerful political office, with significant responsibility for domestic and foreign affairs in one of the EU’s most populous and powerful member nations. Here’s all you need to know about the runoff election.
Emmanuel Macron Wins Reelection
The performance of Le Pen is the latest evidence that the French people are turning to radical leaders to express their discontent with the status quo. Far-left and far-right candidates received more than 57 percent of the vote in the first round.
Many people who were unhappy with the final two choices chose to stay at home. According to the French Interior Ministry, the runoff voting turnout was 28%, the highest in more than 50 years. In reality, there were more abstentions than votes cast for Le Pen.
What comes next?
The French news media will work with pollsters at 8 p.m. on Election Day to present projected results based on preliminary vote counts. This will give you a good idea of who is expected to win, but if the race is close, projections may not be clear for a while. The Interior Ministry’s website will have the official results.
The new president will have until May 13 to take office if Mr. Macron is not re-elected. The focus will next move to the National Assembly elections. On June 12 and 19, all seats will be up for grabs in a similar two-round election process.