French leader Emmanuel Macron wins elections at the polls

French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won the second round of elections on Sunday, according to forecasts by polling agencies. The result offered France and the EU a guarantee of leadership stability in the bloc’s only nuclear power as the continent grapples with the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Macron’s second five-year term saves France and its allies from a seismic wartime shift of power against Macron’s populist opponent Marine Le Pen, who readily conceded defeat Sunday night but still seemed on the way. of your victory. Brutal right-wing nationalist policies.

During his campaign, Le Pen vowed to sever France’s ties with the 27-nation European Union, NATO’s military alliance and Germany, measures 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 sanctions on Russian energy supplies and his previous friendship with the Kremlin was discussed during the campaign.

Several European leaders soon congratulated Macron. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter that “together we will advance France and Europe”. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands tweeted hope that “our extensive and constructive cooperation within the EU and NATO will continue”.

Election forecasts released during the closing of the latest polling stations say Macron intends to beat his rival by a double-digit margin. Several hundred Macon supporters gathered in front of the Eiffel Tower, singing the national anthem and waving French and European flags as televisions broadcast early predictions of his victory.

Five years ago, Macron won a landslide victory over Le Pen to become France’s youngest president at 39. The margin is expected to be much smaller this time around: polling agencies Opinionway, Harris and Ifop predicted the 44-year-old pro-European centrist. He would win at least 57% of the vote.

Le Pen is estimated to have won 41.5% to 43% of the vote, an unprecedented result for a 53-year-old woman in her third candidacy for the French presidency. Le Pen called his results a “brilliant victory” and said that “in this defeat I cannot help but feel the shape of hope”.

He and leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who finished third in the first round of voting on April 10 and was among 10 presidential candidates disqualified that day, ran to the French legislature in June and urged voters to surrender. . The parliamentary majority blocks Macron. The first official results of the French presidential elections are expected on Sunday night.

If predictions come true, Macron will become the third president since the founding of modern France in 1958, winning twice in the polls and the first 20 years since Jacques Chirac toppled Le Pen’s father in 2002.

Le Pen’s score this time rewarded his many years of efforts to make his far-right policies more palatable to voters. With a tough campaign against family spending, he made a deep foray into the blues of disaffected rural communities and former industrial centers.
Breaking the 40% threshold for the French far right is unprecedented. Le Pen lost to Macron in 2017 with 66% to 34%, while his father scored less than 20% against Chirac.

The projected drop in support for Macron from five years ago indicates an uphill battle ahead for the president to bring the people behind him for a second term. Many French voters found the 2022 presidential runoff less appealing than in 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor who had not previously held office.

Left voters, unable to identify with the centrist president or Le Pen’s brutally nationalist platform, often struggled with Sunday’s election. Some troops reluctantly went to the polls only to detain Le Pen and happily vote for Macron.

“It was the worst election,” said Stephanie David, a transportation logistics officer who supported the Communist candidate in the first round.
It was an impossible choice for retired Jean-Pierre Rust. After voting Communists in the first round, he threw an empty envelope into the ballot box on Sunday, which was despised both for Le Pen’s policies and Macron’s arrogance. “I’m not against his ideas, but I can’t stand this man,” said Ron.

Instead, Marianne Arbre, who was running in Paris, voted for Macron “to avoid a government that stands up to fascists, racists.”

“There is a real risk,” lamented the 29-year-old.

Macron went to the polls with a significant lead in the polls but faced broken, anxious and tired voters. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed Macron’s first term, as well as months of violent protests against his economic policies, which provided fertile ground for Le Pen.

France’s only seat on the UN Security Council, and with only one nuclear arsenal, has been monitoring France’s outcome in a 27-nation bloc as it grapples with the fallout from the war in Ukraine. France played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and supply Ukraine with weapons systems.

Also today, Le Pen voted for the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, the former industrial center of France, while Macron voted for the English Channel resort town of Le Touquet.

Addressing working-class voters battling rising prices, Le Pen promised that lowering the cost of living would be his priority, arguing that Macron’s presidency had deeply divided the country.

Macron sought to address the issue of immigrant heritage and religious minority voters, especially given Le Pen’s proposed policy, which targets Muslims and puts French citizens first in jobs and benefits.

Macron also spoke about his environmental and climate achievements to serve young voters who supported leftist candidates in the first round. Macron said his next prime minister would be responsible for environmental planning as France seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050.