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.”
Earlier in the day, projections after the polls closed at 8 pm (Paris time), showed political novice Macron, who at 39 will be the youngest French President, had secured over 65 per cent of the vote, against his right-wing opponent, Marie Le Pen of the National Front, said the BBC.
“It’s a great honour and a great responsibility. I want to thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he had said.
He also acknowledged the anger of many voters and vowed to protect the weakest members of society. “I will work to renew the links between Europe and its citizens. My duty is to alleviate fears and rekindle optimism. I will fight with all my strength against the divisions that separate us,” he said.
Twice in his speech, the president-elect acknowledged the risks France was facing by climate change and ecological dangers.
Le Pen called him up to congratulate him. She told her supporters at her campaign headquarters that the new divide in France is between “globalists and patriots”.
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