JAKARTA - Incumbent Emmanuel Macron again won the French presidential election, beating his rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday, pledging to improve his performance in his next term.
Macron's victory was greeted by cheering supporters as the presidential election results appeared on a giant screen in the Champ de Mars park near the Eiffel Tower, Paris.
Leaders in Berlin, Brussels, London, and beyond welcomed his victory over the nationalist and skeptical Le Pen.
Raising 58.5 percent of the vote, Macron admitted in his victory speech that many only voted for him just to keep Le Pen away and he vowed to address many French people's feelings that their standard of living is slipping.
"Many people in this country voted for me not because they supported my ideas, but to discourage right-wing ideas. I want to thank them and know that I am indebted to them in the years to come," he said. Reuters 25 April.
"No one in France will be left by the roadside," he continued in messages that had been circulated by senior ministers roaming French TV stations.
Two years of disruption from the pandemic and a spike in energy prices exacerbated by the Ukraine war hurled economic problems ahead of the campaign. The rising cost of living has become an increasing burden on the poorest people in France.
"He needs to get closer to people and listen to them," digital sales worker Virginie, 51, told Macron's campaign, adding he needed to overcome his reputation for arrogance and soften Macron's own leadership style called Jupiter.
Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in the opinion polls, was quick to concede defeat. But he vowed to keep fighting with parliamentary elections in June.
"I will never leave France," he told supporters chanting "Marine! Marine!"
Macron can expect little to no grace period in a country whose political divisions have been exposed through elections, in which radical parties have scored well. Many expect the street protests that ruined part of his first term will erupt again as he pursues pro-business reforms.
"There will be continuity in government policy as the president has been re-elected," Health Minister Olivier Veran said.
"But we have also heard the message of the French people."
How Macron's coalition will now depend on the upcoming parliamentary elections. Le Pen wants a nationalist alliance in a move that increases his prospects of working with far-right rivals such as Eric Zemmour and his nephew, Marion Marechal.
The hard-line Jean-Luc Melenchon, who is by far the strongest force on France's political left, says he deserves to be prime minister - something that would force Macron into an awkward and deadlock-prone "cohabitation".
"Melenchon as prime minister. That would be nice. Macron would be angry, but that's the point," said Philippe Lagrue, 63, technical director at the Paris theater, who voted for Macron in the second round after backing Melenchon in the first. round.
Outside France, Macron's victory was hailed as a reprieve for mainstream politics rocked in recent years by Britain's exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.
"Bravo Emmanuel," wrote European Council President Charles Michel, on Twitter. "In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France that is truly committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union."
"Financial markets will breathe a collective sigh of relief after Macron's election victory," said Seema Shah, head of strategy at Principal Global Investors.
However, disappointment with Macron is reflected in the abstention rate which is expected to stay at around 28 percent, the highest since 1969.
Early polls showed the vote was sharply divided both by age and socioeconomic status: Two-thirds of working-class voters supported le Pen, while a similar proportion of white-collar executives and retirees supported Macron, an Elabe poll showed.
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It is known that Macron won about 59 percent of the vote by 18-24-year-olds, with votes being almost evenly split across other age categories.
During the campaign, Le Pen noted the rising cost of living and Macron's sometimes brusque style as some of his weak points.
He promised sharp cuts to fuel taxes, a zero percent sales tax on essentials from pasta to diapers, income exemptions for young workers and a "French first" stance on jobs and welfare.
"I was surprised to see the majority of French people want to re-elect a president who looked down on them for five years," said Adrien Caligiuri, a 27-year-old project manager at the Le Pen campaign.
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