French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-Right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday by a comfortable margin, early projections by pollsters showed, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake.
The first projections showed Macron securing around 57-58 per cent of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country.
Cheers of joy erupted as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where Macron supporters waved French and EU flags. People hugged each other and chanted “Macron”.
Le Pen admitted defeat but vowed to keep up the fight, with the June parliamentary elections in mind. “I will never abandon the French,” she said to supporters chanting “Marine! Marine!”
Macron can expect little to no grace period after many, especially on the Left, only voted for him reluctantly to block the far-Right from winning. Protests that marred part of his first mandate could erupt again quite quickly, as he tries to press on with pro-business reforms.
“There will be continuity in government policy because the President has been re-elected. But we have also heard the French people’s message,” health minister Olivier Veran told BFM TV.
A first major challenge will be the parliamentary elections. They are in June and Opposition parties on the Left and Right will immediately start a major push to try to vote in a parliament and government opposed to Macron.
Ifop, Elabe, OpinionWay and Ipsos pollsters projected a 57.6-58.2 per cent win for Macron.
Victory for the centrist, pro-European Union Macron would be hailed by allies as a reprieve for mainstream politics that have been rocked in recent years by Britain’s exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.
European Council President Charles Michel as well as the Prime Ministers of Belgium and Luxembourg were among the first European leaders to congratulate Macron on his re-election.
“Bravo Emmanuel,” Michel wrote on Twitter. “In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.”
Belgium’s Alexander De Croo and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel also quickly posted congratulations on Twitter. The trio are all centrist allies of Macron.
Macron will join a small club — only two French Presidents before him have managed to secure a second term. But his margin of victory looks to be tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017, underlining how many French remain unimpressed with him and his domestic record.