Emmanuel Macron 'defeats Le Pen to become president'
A TV screen displaying French President elect Emmanuel Macron with an estimated score of more than 65 per cent on May 7, 2017 in Paris, France. PHOTO | OLIVIER MORIN | AFP
What you need to know:
- Mr Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65 percent to 35 per cent to become, at 39, the country's youngest president, the results show.
- The Macron team said that the new president had had a "cordial" telephone conversation with Ms Le Pen.
- There were cheers for Marine Le Pen as she delivered her speech.
PARIS
Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron has decisively won the French presidential election, projected results say.
Mr Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65.5% to 34.5% to become, at 39, the country's youngest president, the results show.
Mr Macron will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic's foundation in 1958.
He said that a new page was being turned in French history.
French presidential election candidate for the far-right Front National (FN) party Marine Le Pen delivers a speech in Paris, on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. PHOTO | BERTRAND GUAY | AFP
"I want it to be a page of hope and trust," he said.
FIGHTING FORCES OF DIVISIONS
Mr Macron said he had heard "the rage, anxiety and doubt that a lot of you have expressed" and vowed to spend his five years in office "fighting the forces of divisions that undermine France".
He said he would "guarantee the unity of the nation and... defend and protect Europe."
Mr Macron's supporters gathered to celebrate in central Paris after the bitterly fought election concluded on Sunday amid massive security.
People react and celebrate on May 7, 2017, in Marseille following the announcement of the results of the second round of the French presidential election.
Emmanuel Macron was elected French president in a resounding victory over far-right rival Marine Le Pen. PHOTO | ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT | AFP
The Macron team said that the new president had had a "cordial" telephone conversation with Ms Le Pen.
In a speech she thanked the 11 million people who had voted for her. She said the election had shown a division between "patriots and globalists" and called for the emergence of a new political force.
DEEP TRANSFORMATION
Ms Le Pen said her National Front party needed to renew itself and that she would start the "deep transformation of our movement", vowing to lead it into upcoming parliamentary elections.
She also said she had wished Mr Macron success in tackling the "huge challenges" facing him.
A supporter of French presidential election candidate for the far-right Front National (FN) party Marine Le Pen reacts in Paris, on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. PHOTO | ALAIN JOCARD | AFP
President François Hollande congratulated Mr Macron and said the result showed the French people wanted to unite around the "values of the republic".
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says this is the most remarkable success story of how a man who three years ago was utterly unknown to the French public, through sheer self-belief, energy - and connections - forged a political movement that has trounced all the established French political parties.
SCATTERED BOOS
There were scattered boos as the projections were announced. A few moments of quiet, uncertain chatter followed. Then supporters gave a subdued rendition of the French national anthem. Many were carrying blue-coloured roses - Marine Le Pen's chosen symbol.
Supporters of French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement Emmanuel Macron celebrate in front of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. PHOTO | PHILIPPE LOPEZ | AFP
The defeat will not have come as a surprise - the fact that such a small venue was booked is an indication that the campaign suspected it would lose.
There were cheers for Marine Le Pen as she delivered her speech.
During an interview afterwards, one senior party official explained to me that a new movement would now be formed - he didn't give a name for it. Once I finished the interview, he raised his glass of champagne and said "Vive la France".
