With around 58 percent, the 44-year-old was re-elected in Sunday’s runoff once morest Marine Le Pen. In his speech, he also paid tribute to all those who did not vote for him out of conviction, but to prevent the right-wing extremists from gaining power.
“I want to thank you here and say that this commits me for the next five years,” Macron exclaimed.
28 percent of the 48.7 million eligible voters stayed away from the polls – it was the highest abstention since 1969.
Macron extended his hand to everyone who did not vote for him, including those who voted for Le Pen. When the mention of them was met with boos and whistles, he asked them to stop, as he has always done at his rallies. The anger that caused people to vote far-right needs an answer, said Macron – “that will be my responsibility”.
Le Pen celebrates “victory”
Marine Le Pen, on the other hand, described her defeat last night as a “resounding victory”: “Millions of our fellow citizens have opted for the national camp and a change,” said the 53-year-old energetically. The people have issued a vote of no confidence in the French and European rulers.
While the right-wing populist used to promote France’s exit from the EU and the eurozone, this time she advocated staying in the country, but called for the EU to be transformed into an “alliance of sovereign nations”. She wanted to get out of the European electricity market and put national law above EU law.
On the other hand, Macron campaigned for a deepening of European cooperation and for a common defense, especially with a view to the Ukraine war.
Macron’s victory is primarily to be understood as Le Pen’s defeat. Because many French were dissatisfied with his first term. After the first round of elections, a number of parties called for a wall to be built once morest the right and for President Le Pen, who despite her decidedly more moderate demeanor still takes extreme right-wing positions, to be prevented from voting for Macron.
This dynamic had already existed in 2017, when Le Pen and Macron first faced each other in the runoff, and in 2002 when Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen lost to conservative Jacques Chirac.
