Macron

Emmanuel Macron will win France's presidential election, pollsters project, fending off a historic challenge from right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen during ...

"You cannot properly defend the interests of France on this subject because your interests are linked to people close to the Russian power" Le Pen's ability to attract new voters since 2017 is the latest indication that the French public are turning to extremist politicians to voice their dissatisfaction with the status quo. This time, however, Macron had to run on a mixed record on domestic issues, like his handling of the yellow vest protests and the Covid-19 pandemic. These projections, which are based on data from voting stations that close at 7 p.m. in the rest of the country, are usually used by the candidates and French media to declare a winner. Still, Le Pen acknowledged the fact that the far right had never performed so well in a presidential election. Macron is projected to take 58.2% of the vote, according to an analysis of voting data by pollsters Ipsos & Sopra Steria conducted for broadcasters France Televisions and Radio, making him the first French leader to be reelected in 20 years.

If Macron's win is confirmed then it would make him the first French president in two decades to win a second term.

If Macron's win is confirmed then it would make him the first French president in two decades to win a second term. But that support dissipated in the days prior to the first round of voting on Apr. 10, as French citizens focused heavily on domestic affairs and soaring inflation. In a two-hour TV debate Wednesday, Macron called out Le Pen's previous ties with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, accusing her of being dependent on Moscow. Turnout on Sunday was 2 percentage points lower than the 2017 election, according to the Interior Ministry. Immediately after the projections, Le Pen spoke to her supporters in Paris and accepted defeat. The 2022 campaign was set against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a cost of living crisis in France, a surge in support for the far-left among younger generations and suggestions of widespread voter apathy.

Macron's victory deals a setback to the populist movements that have upended politics across the western world, from Brexit to Donald Trump.

In a closer-than-expected margin, Macron finished with 27.85% of the vote, and Le Pen with 23.15%. After her loss in the 2017 presidential election, Le Pen sought to soften her image. There is anger at the cost of living." Those defeats could be "a giant victory for the renewal of democratic values in Europe and a huge setback for populist nationalism," McFaul said. "There are things he will have to address," Haddad said. Le Pen herself told supporters that "more than ever I will continue my work for the French." Le Pen has long espoused an anti-immigrant agenda, and in this campaign, she called for banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public. He also said her anti-Muslim policies would trigger a "civil war" in France. "There is discontent," Haddad said. American and European government officials greeted news of Macron's reelection with relief. In a rematch of the 2017 presidential election, Macron led challenger Marine Le Pen with more than 58% of the vote, according to projected results from the French news media, working with national pollsters. Others pointed out that Le Pen did better in this French election than the one five years ago, and the conservative populist movement still has to be taken seriously in the U.S. Europe, and elsewhere.

With an estimated 58% of the vote, Emmanuel Macron has been reelected as President of France.

And, he said, “I think of those who voted for Marine Le Pen and for whom this is a disappointment,” at that the crowd began to boo, with Macron admonishing, “Don’t boo anyone… We cannot imagine what this terrible sign would mean for Europe and for the world.” Macron appeared on the Champ de Mars later in the evening, and walked to the stage surrounded by his wife and a group of children. France has been divided in recent weeks, with many decrying the options presented in the election. Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacronon your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. In conclusion, Macron said the divisions expressed in this election must be healed “by ensuring respect for everyone, every day. He continued, “I know also that a number of our compatriots voted for me today, not to support my ideas, but to block those of the extreme right. This is higher than in 2017, and is also more than the first round of voting two weeks ago. “Tonight,” she concluded, “I say it again, I will never abandon the French people.” “The French people are expressing this evening the desire for a strong counter-power to that of Emmanuel Macron… A great political recomposition is emerging in this country.” She added that “the game is not quite played,” given legislative elections will take place in a few weeks. Le Pen was at the Pavillion d’Armenonville in Paris’ 16th arrondissement where she appeared shortly after the results. Today marked the second runoff between candidates from parties other than the traditional left and right.

Emmanuel Macron celebrates after his victory in France's presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris. Bertrand Guay | Afp | Getty Images. France's ...

Warwick University Professor of French Politics Jim Shields told CNBC earlier this week that Macron had the difficult task of defending his five years in office but also presenting a fresh vision for the future. "I am no longer the candidate of a camp but the president of everyone," Macron said as he addressed his supporters against a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. - "I am no longer the candidate of a camp but the president of everyone," Macron said as he addressed his supporters.

French voters cast their ballots Sunday. Polls show incumbent president Emmanuel Macron ahead of his rival, populist candidate Marine Le Pen.

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Emmanuel Macron pulled out all the stops to try to consolidate his lead over far-right leader Marine Le Pen ahead of the final ballot of the French ...

No matter the outcome of Sunday's election, the appeal of extremist candidates is worrying for the health of transatlantic liberalism.

“My main takeaway from the Mélenchon group is that they hate Macron way more than they hate Le Pen,” Mathieu Lefèvre of More in Common, a think tank studying polarization in Europe and America, told me about the interviews he conducted ahead of the vote. The irony—and, depending on tomorrow’s outcome, the tragedy, perhaps—is that while so many French voters have been blinded by personal animus and numbed by domestic haggling, the most potentially destructive stakes of this election remain global in scope. Le Pen again cast herself as a populist “obliged to be the spokesperson of the people,” intent on liberating Muslim women from the veil and solving a cost-of-living crisis in the provinces. “Mélenchon does not intend to stop at third place,” Le Monde reported on April 19 after the candidate directly appealed to voters to elect him prime minister in the legislative elections to be held this June. “If this cohabitation does not suit the president, he can leave, I will not leave,” Mélenchon warned. Mélenchon, for his part, condemned the Russian invasion, and continued to reap the benefits of his post-2018 shift in rhetoric about mass migration. Apparently too busy to campaign and loath to debate while doggedly keeping the lines of communication open with Moscow (and posing for Zelensky-esque photo ops in jeans and hoodies), he quietly put out a letter declaring his candidacy a mere 24 hours before the deadline.

FILE - A torn front page ad shows incubent President Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen as the environmental group Extinction Rebellion takes part ...

In an opinion piece Thursday in several European newspapers, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose him over his nationalist rival. “A great number of the people who are going to vote for Macron, they are not voting for this program, but because they reject Marine Le Pen.” He says that's the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Political analyst Marc Lazar, head of the History Center at Sciences Po, told the AP he thinks that Macron is going to win again. He said he will also keep pushing for a more powerful Europe.

The French vote on Sunday in an election that will decide whether pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron keeps his job or is unseated by ...

Le Pen, who has also been criticised by Macron for her past admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, rejects accusations of racism. But she added that many of her clients would vote for the far-right candidate because they dislike Macron. Shockwaves would be felt across Europe and beyond. "She is close to the people. "Emmanuel Macron is considered arrogant by more than one in two voters and Marine Le Pen remains scary for half of them." She has also zeroed in on Macron's abrasive leadership style, which she says shows an elitist contempt for ordinary people.

By Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau and Layli Foroudi PARIS (Reuters) - The French vote on Sunday in an election that will decide whether pro-Europea...

But she added that many of her clients would vote for the far-right candidate because they dislike Macron. Le Pen, who has also been criticised by Macron for her past admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, rejects accusations of racism. Shockwaves would be felt across Europe and beyond. “She is close to the people. “Emmanuel Macron is considered arrogant by more than one in two voters and Marine Le Pen remains scary for half of them.” She has also zeroed in on Macron’s abrasive leadership style, which she says shows an elitist contempt for ordinary people.

A victory by Emmanuel Macron in Sunday's runoff would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

In several European newspapers Thursday, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose Macron over his nationalist rival. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Macron has vowed to change the French economy to make it more independent while still protecting social benefits. He says that’s the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European centrist incumbent, yet the margin over his nationalist rival varies broadly, from 6 to 15 percentage points. No campaigning is allowed through the weekend, and polling is banned at this point. A Le Pen victory would be a “traumatic moment, not only for France, but for European Union and for international relationships, especially with the USA,” Lazar said, noting that Le Pen “wants a distant relationship between France and the USA.” In his victory speech in 2017, Macron had promised to “do everything” during his five-year term so that the French “have no longer any reason to vote for the extremes.” His first term was rocked by the “yellow vest” protests against social injustice, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It notably forced Macron to delay a key pension reform, which he said he would relaunch soon after reelection, to gradually raise France’s minimum retirement age from 62 to 65. He said that means Macron will face a “big level of mistrust” in the country. A Macron victory in this vote — which could have far-reaching repercussions for Europe’s future direction and Western efforts to stop the war in Ukraine — would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term. French President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection Sunday in the country’s presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right rival Marine Le Pen depends on one major uncertainty: voters who could decide to stay home.

French citizens are heading to the polls Sunday in a presidential election set against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis.

If Macron is re-elected he will become the first incumbent in two decades to return for a second term. "Each of the two candidates need to try to correct their perceived weakness. Macron told Le Pen during the two-hour talks: "When you speak to Russia, you are speaking to your banker," according to a translation. "Le Pen, this time round, can play the card of change much more than Macron," he said. Back then, Macron crushed Le Pen's party (National Front which has since been rebranded National Rally) with 66.1% of the votes, to 33.9%. The last days of the campaign trail have seen Le Pen's old links with Russia and President Vladimir Putin resurface.

French voters will choose between two very different visions for their country during Sunday's presidential runoff election, as the centrist President ...

While Macron won 27.8% of the votes in the first round to take the top spot, the results indicated major voter discontent with the status quo. Macron's signature policy during the crisis -- requiring people to show proof of vaccination to go about their lives as normal -- helped increase vaccination rates but fired up a vocal minority against his presidency. Macron's handling of the yellow vest movement The former investment banker and economy minister must defend a mixed political record while also convincing voters that his platform, headlined by major investments in industry and fighting the climate crisis, won't simply mean more of the same. However, she has not abandoned some of her most controversial policies, like banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public. She also performed better in Wednesday's presidential debate

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest French presidential election news every morning. Voters in France are going to the polls to ...

France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday in a race between between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

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France began voting in a presidential runoff election in a race between between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

Macron has said his next prime minister would be placed in charge of environmental planning as France seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050. She said bringing down the cost of living would be her priority if elected as France’s first woman president, and she portrayed herself as the candidate for voters unable to make ends meet. Citizens and especially millennials voted in droves for Melenchon. Many young voters are particularly engaged with climate issues. The outcome could depend on how left-wing voters make up their minds: between backing Macron or abstaining and leaving him to fend for himself against Le Pen. All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European Macron — yet the margin over his 53-year-old far-right rival varies broadly. Le Pen’s support in France’s electorate has grown during this campaign to her highest level ever, and much will depend Sunday on how many people turn out to vote.