PARIS: Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron was declared victor after he won 20.7 million votes, firmly beating Marine Le Pen, who took about 10.6 million in the French Presidential elections’ crucial runoff on Sunday.
According to the official results announced, Macron wins 66.06 per cent of total votes. Le Pen got 33.94 per cent of the votes, BBC quoted the French Interior Ministry as saying.
The turnout in this runoff was nearly 74 per cent — the lowest in almost 50 years. French media reported that Macron supporters came out on the streets in celebration while Le Pen called him up to congratulate him. Thanking his supporters, Macron tweeted: “Let us love France. As of this evening and for the coming five years, I am going to serve with humility, with dedication, with determination, in your name.” US President Trump extended his congratulations to Macron. “Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his big win today as the next President of France,” Trump tweeted. “I look very much forward to working with him!” The White House released a separate statement congratulating Macron as well. “We congratulate President-elect Macron and the people of France on their successful presidential election,” the statement said. “We look forward to working with the new President and continuing our close cooperation with the French government.” Though Trump did not officially endorse any candidate in the first or second rounds of the French election, he shared a number of similarities with Le Pen. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman welcomed Macron’s resounding win as a “victory for a strong and united Europe.” “Congratulations, @EmmanuelMacron. Your victory is a victory for a strong and united Europe and for French-German friendship,” wrote Steffen Seibert in French and German on Twitter. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Macron on winning France’s presidential election. “I look forward to working closely with President-elect Macron in the years ahead as we work together on a progressive agenda to promote international security, increase collaboration in science and technology, and create good, middle class jobs on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said in a statement. “This also includes implementing the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.” “Canada and France share a warm and historic relationship, rooted in our common history, deep cultural ties, people-to-people connections, and strong economic partnership,” Trudeau added. He pledged more cooperation on issues such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, G7, G20 and La Francophonie, the international organization of French-speaking countries.–PTI
