French election: Macron won the presidential
French voters have elected centrist Emmanuel Macron as the country's youngest president ever, delivering a resounding victory to the unabashedly pro-European former investment banker and strengthening France's place as a central pillar of the European Union.
Such a comfortable Macron win is in line with what pollsters have been saying for weeks, with most polls saying that the 39-year-old centrist would win with a lead of around 20 points. His final lead, of 31 points, dwarfed even this.
Marine Le Pen, his far-right opponent in the presidential runoff, quickly called the 39-year-old to concede defeat after voters rejected her "French-first" nationalism by a large margin. Macron swept the board geographically, with Le Pen winning just two of France's 107 departments.
Even in areas that heavily backed the far-right candidate in the first round, such as the north-east of the country and along the mediterranean coast, voters turned to Macron when it mattered.
With only French overseas residents' results to be counted the results show Le Pen winning in just two north eastern departments: in Calais and in Aisne. His startup political movement — optimistically named, “En Marche!,” or “Forward!” — caught fire in just one year, harnessing voters’ hunger for new faces and new ideas and steering France into unchartered political territory.
In a solemn televised victory speech, Mr Macron vowed to heal the social divisions exposed by France's acrimonious election campaign and bring "hope and renewed confidence" to the country. "A new page in our long history is opening," he declared. "I know the divisions in our nation, which have led some to vote for the extremes. I respect them.
"I know the anger, the anxiety, the doubts that very many of you have also expressed. It's my responsibility to hear them. I will work to recreate the link between Europe and its peoples, between Europe and citizens."
Mr Macron's victory marked the third time in six months, following elections in Austria and the Netherlands, that European voters shot down far-right populists who wanted to restore borders across Europe.
Congratulations poured in for Macron on Sunday night, including praise from President Trump.
“Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his big win today as the next President of France,” he tweeted. “I look very much forward to working with him!” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff congratulated Macron, tweeting in French, “Vive la France, Vive L’Europe!” — meaning “Long live France, long live Europe!”
Meanwhile in Paris, demonstrators protested against both Le Pen and Macron. It came after the highest level of second round abstention in decades, 24.8%, with many voters dismayed at the choice between an ex-banker and a far-right firebrand.