Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, 39, who was unknown three years ago ago, has become France’s youngest-ever president after an estimated 65% to 35% victory in the second round run-off against Front National’s right-wing leader Marine Le Pen.
The resounding win has been hailed by his supporters as holding back a tide of populism after the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory in the US election.
In Macron’s fairly subdued victory speech the political outsider vowed to unite a divided and fractured France, saying the world was watching and “waiting for us to defend the spirit of the Enlightenment, threatened in so many places”.
Despite her loss, Le Pen’s score marked a historical high point for the French right. In a defiant concession speech, Le Pen said she was leader of “the biggest opposition force” in France and vowed to radically overhaul her party.
-Agencies
