Macron, who became the country’s youngest president when he defeated Le Pen in 2017 with 66 percent of the vote, defeated her again Sunday but with only 58.8 percent of the popular vote this time.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Macron through a tweet. The people protesting in the streets of Paris and Lyon thought otherwise.
Videos surfaced Sunday evening of what appear to be peaceful protests, but only from what’s seen in the immediate frames. Here are some of those videos captured.
Macron has gained international fame for trying to mediate between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the war between the Eastern European countries.
Le Pen, on the other hand, has drawn criticism for her previous support of Putin. She tried distancing herself from earlier remarks by condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She was a far-right candidate who promised to remove the NATO integrated military command, and she has been known in the past for backing a plan to ban Muslim females from wearing head scarves in public.
Macron is a centrist who became less popular during his first term. His approval rating dropped during that term and there were several protests of his presidency.
Zelensky was just one of the world leaders who congratulated Macron on his victory. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson was another.
“Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world,” Johnson tweeted.
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU “can count on” France for five more years.
“In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union. We can count on the #France #5 more years,” Michel tweeted.
Macron addressed his nation after he was declared the victor, stating he was the leader of all France, not just one party.
“I’m not the candidate of one camp anymore, but the president of all of us,” Macron said.
