Emmanuel Macron retains French presidency with decisive victory over Le Pen
In his victory speech at the Eiffel Tower, Mr Macron said: 'I’m not the candidate of one camp anymore, but the president of all of us. Picture: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron has comfortably won re-election in the presidential run-off, according to exit polls, offering French voters and the European Union the reassurance of leadership stability as the continent grapples with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The first projections showed Macron securing around 57-58% of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country. The final result is expected later tonight.
The result, which was announced at 8pm local time, makes Mr Macron the first French President to be re-elected since Jacques Chirac in 2002.
A second five-year term for Mr Macron, expected to be officially confirmed by official results later on Sunday, would spare France and its allies in Europe and beyond the seismic upheaval of a shift of power in wartime.
Mr Macron’s rival, far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement National (National Rally), quickly conceded on Sunday night.
"With more than 43% of the vote, this represents a striking victory."
In her concession speech, Ms Le Pen said she respected the verdict of the ballot box and the French people.
"I have no resentment," she said.
"We are more determined than ever. We will not forget the France that is forgotten. The ideas that we represent have reached new heights."
Her campaign had pledged to dilute French ties with the 27-nation EU, the Nato military alliance and Germany would, had she won, have shaken Europe’s security architecture as the continent deals with its worst conflict since the Second World War.
Ms Le Pen also spoke out against sanctions on Russian energy supplies and faced scrutiny during the election campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.
President Macron said a simple “thank you” after winning re-election, and praised the majority who gave him five more years at the helm of France.
He arrived on the plaza where his supporters gathered, beneath the Eiffel Tower, to the sound of the Ode to Joy, the European Union’s anthem, hand in hand with his wife, Brigitte.
Mr Macron also thanked people who voted for him not because they embrace his ideas but because they wanted to reject far-right rival Marine Le Pen.
"Many French people voted for me to block the far right
"I also want to thank them, and tell them that their vote places me under an obligation."
Mr Macron promised to do his utmost to "heal the divisions that have been expressed in these elections, by ensuring respect for everyone, every day."
"I want a fairer society, equality between women and men," he said.
"The years to come will certainly be difficult, but they will be historic and we will have to write them, together, for the new generations."
Five years ago, Mr Macron won a sweeping victory to become France’s youngest president at 39.
The margin is expected to be way smaller this time: Polling agencies Opinionway, Harris and Ifop projected that the 44-year-old pro-European centrist projected to win at least 57% of the vote.
Ms Le Pen was projected to win between 41.5% and 43% support – a still unprecedented result for the 53-year-old on her third attempt to win the French presidency.
Early official results are expected later tonight.
If the projections hold, Mr Macron would become only the third president since the 1958 founding of modern France to win twice at the ballot box, and the first in 20 years, since incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Ms Le Pen’s father in 2002.
Ms Le Pen’s score this time rewarded her year-long efforts to make her far-right politics more palatable to voters.
Campaigning hard on cost-of-living issues, she made deep inroads among blue-collar voters, in disaffected rural communities and former industrial centres.
Breaking through the threshold of 40% or more of the vote is unprecedented for the French far-right.
Ms Le Pen was beaten 66% to 34% by Mr Macron in 2017. And her father got less than 20% against Mr Chirac.
Several hundred Macron supporters gathered in front of the Eiffel Tower, singing the national anthem and waving French and European flags as television stations broadcast the initial projections of his win.
Still, the projected drop in support for Mr Macron compared to five years ago points to what is expected to be a tough battle for the president to rally people behind him in his second term.
Many French voters found the 2022 rematch less compelling than in 2017, when Mr Macron was an unknown factor, having never previously held elected office.
Leftist voters, unable to identify with either the centrist president or Ms Le Pen’s fiercely nationalist platform, often agonised with the choices on Sunday.
Some trooped reluctantly to polling stations solely to stop Le Pen, casting joyless votes for Macron.
“It was the least worst choice,” said Stephanie David, a transport logistics worker who backed a communist candidate in round one.
It was an impossible choice for retiree Jean-Pierre Roux. Having also voted communist in round one, he dropped an empty envelope into the ballot box on Sunday, repelled both by Le Pen’s politics and what he saw as Mr Macron’s arrogance.
“I am not against his ideas but I cannot stand the person,” Roux said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin was among the first EU leaders to congratulate Mr Macron on the result.
"At a time when Europe faces many challenges, not least the war in Ukraine, it is important that we have a President in Paris who is as committed as he is to the fundamental values of the European Union and to its success," Mr Martin said.
Congratulations @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 24, 2022
Your principled and dynamic leadership is important not only for France, but for Europe.
I look forward to us continuing to work together on the challenges ahead. pic.twitter.com/krXJx0Z8zK
The Taoiseach said that, throughout his first term in office, Mr Macron offered "strong, decisive and principled leadership."
"I very much look forward to this continuing and to working closely with him in the coming years.
"France and Ireland are good friends and partners, France is our nearest neighbour in the EU. We are like-minded on many issues, including our ambition on climate action and our commitment to an EU that works well and that delivers for its citizens."
Mr Martin added that France and Ireland are strongly committed to "the success of the European project which remains the bedrock of prosperity and well-being on our continent."
Bravo Emmanuel," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.
"In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union."
Chaleureux bravo cher @EmmanuelMacron
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) April 24, 2022
En cette période tourmentée, nous avons besoin d’une Europe solide et d’une France totalement engagée pour une Union européenne plus souveraine et plus stratégique.
Nous pouvons compter sur la #France #5 ans de plus. pic.twitter.com/JEPf6Pqght
His remarks were echoed by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.
"I am delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi hailed Macron’s victory as “splendid news for all of Europe” and a boost to the EU.
Mr Macron went into the vote with a sizeable lead in polls but unable to be sure of victory from a fractured, anxious and tired electorate.
The war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic battered Mr Macron’s first term, as did months of violent protests against his economic policies. The upheavals created fertile ground for Ms Le Pen.
With the EU’s only seat on the UN Security Council and only nuclear arsenal, the outcome in France was being watched across the 27-nation bloc as it grapples with the fallout of the Ukraine war.
France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.
Ms Le Pen’s ties to Russia became an issue during the campaign, raising questions as to how she would deal with the Kremlin if elected.
Earlier in the day, Ms Le Pen voted in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, in France’s struggling former industrial heartland, while Mr Macron voted in the resort town of Le Touquet on the English Channel.
Appealing to working-class voters struggling with surging prices, Ms Le Pen had vowed that bringing down the cost of living would be her priority if elected.
She argued that Mr Macron’s presidency left the country deeply divided, pointing to the yellow vest protest movement that rocked his government before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Macron sought to appeal to voters of immigrant heritage and religious minorities, especially because of Ms Le Pen’s proposed policies targeting Muslims and putting French citizens first in line for jobs and benefits.
He also said his next prime minister would be put in charge of environmental planning as France seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050.
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