Allies welcome French President Macron’s re-election

KABUL (Pajhwok): French President Emmanuel Macron has won a second term in office in Sunday’s runoff election.

Macron outpolled his far-right rival Marine Le Pen by a comfortable margin, according to Reuters, which reported cheers of joy as the results trickled in.

Macron is believed to have secured around 58.5% of the vote. Many, especially on the left, backed him half-heartedly to prevent the far-right from winning.

Slated for June, parliamentary election results are expected to have a deep impact on the nature of Macron’s second term.

For her part, Le Pen has set her eyes on a strong showing in the assembly as Jean-Luc Melenchon eyes the prime ministerial slot.

Macron’s triumph was instantly welcomed by allies as good news for mainstream politics jolted in recent years by Britain’s exit from the European Union and the 2016 election of Donald Trump.

European Council President Charles Michel tweeted; “Bravo Emmanuel. In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.”

National Rally’s candidate Marine Le Pen has earned 42.4 percent of the ballot.

Macron outperformed Le Pen for the first time in 2017. He is the first French president after Jacques Chirac to have been elected twice.

PAN Monitor/mud

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