President Emmanuel Macron said a simple « Thank you! » after winning reelection.
French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, according to polling agencies’ projections. In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the result offered the European Union the reassurance of leadership stability in the bloc’s only nuclear-armed power and was immediately hailed by France’s allies. A second five-year term for the centrist Macron spares France and its allies the seismic upheaval of a wartime shift of power to Macron’s populist challenger Marine Le Pen, who quickly acknowledged her defeat Sunday night but still appeared on course for a best-ever showing for her fiercely nationalist far-right policies. During her campaign, Le Pen pledged to dilute French ties with the 27-nation EU, NATO and Germany, moves that would have shaken Europe’s security architecture as the continent deals with its worst conflict since World War II. Le Pen also spoke out against EU sanctions on Russian energy supplies and faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin. A chorus of European leaders hailed Macron’s victory. « Democracy wins, Europe wins, » said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. »Together we will make France and Europe advance, » tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Italian Premier Mario Draghi hailed Macron’s victory as « splendid news for all of Europe » and a boost to the EU « being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine. »Polling agencies’ projections, released as the last voting stations closed, said Macron was on course to beat his rival by a double-digit margin. Several hundred Macon supporters happily gathered in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, waving French and EU flags to the beat of Daft Punk’s « One More Time. »Five years ago, Macron won a sweeping victory over Le Pen to become France’s youngest president at 39.
