President Macron Beats Rival Le Pen, Becomes First French Leader To Win Re-election

French President Emmanual Macron has won over his rival, Marine Le Pen, after the latter conceded the elections, becoming the country's first leader to win re-election after he fended off a historic challenge.

On Sunday, it was found that Macron had 58.55% of the votes, which made him the first French president to be re-elected in the last two decades. He and his rival advanced to the runoff after they finished in first and second place, respectively, among a total of 12 candidates who ran in the first round on Apr. 10.

Macron Wins Election

The election was seen as a rematch of the 2017 French presidential runoff but caused many Europeans to watch with unease. This is because a Le Pen presidency would have fundamentally changed the country's relationship with the European Union and the West.

This would have come when the bloc and its allies rely on Paris to take a leading role in confronting some of the world's largest hurdles, most notably, Russia's war on Ukraine, as per CNN.

In a speech at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the centrist leader told his supporters that with the end of the election, he would be a "president for all." Le Pen said that her vote share still marked a victory despite losing to Macron.

She said that the ideas her National Rally represented had already reached new heights, but far-right rival Eric Zemmour pointed out that Le Pen failed just like her father, who preceded her. He noted that it was already the eighth time the Le Pen name was met with defeat during a political run.

According to BBC, in a speech on Sunday night, Macron said, "an answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right. It will be my responsibility and that of those around me."

First French Leader To Be Re-elected

The 44-year-old Macron built his own political party to run for president in 2017 and was able to win against Le Pen despite a first term beset by protests against his economic policies. One of which was due to his views on the coronavirus pandemic and another from his stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Macron's re-election also posed a massive setback to the populist movements that upended politics across the Western world, from Brexit to Viktor Orban's victory in Hungary and Donald Trump in the United States.

Some analysts from the United States pointed out that Macron won over Le Pen despite less than 40% approval ratings. The numbers are similar to that of U.S. President Joe Biden, who is considering a re-election run in 2024.

In a Twitter post, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said that it was a very interesting observation. He said that President Macron appeared to have secured a double-digit victory over the right-wing challenger when his approval rating was only at 36%, despite its seemingly impossible nature, USA Today reported.

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European Union, United States