French politician, Emmanuel Macron has won his presidential reelection bid. He won five more years as France’s president after a landmark victory by 58.55% to 41.45%, a greater margin than expected over rival Marine Le Pen. This makes him the first sitting president in 20 years to be re-elected.
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Macron told supporters that now the election was over he would be a “president for all”. He chose a highly symbolic venue from the French Revolution for his victory speech in the Champs de Mars. Accompanied by his wife Brigitte and leading a group of children, he walked to the stage accompanied by the EU anthem Ode to Joy before promising supporters that “no-one will be left by the wayside”. Addressing voters who had backed him to keep the far right out of power he said he would be indebted to them for years to come.
Despite her loss, Ms Le Pen, 53, said her significant vote share made her a gallant victor. Meanhile Mr Macron was palying a key diplomatic role in the war, while Marine Le Pen struggled to shake off accusations of ties to the Kremlin.
Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Macron on his reecletion. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated him as a “true friend” adding that he looked forward to a strong and united Europe.