French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected on Sunday with 58% of the vote share compared to 41% for far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen.
The two candidates had presented fundamentally different visions of France and Macron acknowledged in a victory speech that many voters supported him only to counter the far-right. He called on the divided population to be “benevolent and respectful” and promised a “new era”.
Abstention was estimated by pollster Ipsos to be at around 28% nationally, which would be the highest since 1969, with many voters rejecting a repeat of the 2017 election.
Macron acknowledged that many people voted for him to counter Le Pen, commending their “sense of duty” and “attachment to the Republic.”
“We can count on France for five more years,” said EU Council President Charles Michel in a tweet, as other European politicians said Macron’s victory was a “relief”.
Macron will face several challenges ahead despite his victory on Sunday as he inherits a deeply divided country
Macron, however, promised to be a “president for all” after securing victory in France’s election runoff.
He added that the years to come wouldn’t be calm but they would be “historic”.
“Today you have chosen a humanist project, ambitious for the independence of our country, for our Europe, a republican project in its values, a social and ecological project,” Macron said.