French presidential election: Macron’s victory provides continuity but lacks political support

The incumbent president’s re-election avoids an unpredictable political phase for France. Although Emmanuel Macron provides stability from an economic and a geopolitical standpoint, his narrower electoral base might be an issue in implementing his reform agenda.

Emmanuel Macron has won French presidential elections against far-right leader Marine Le Pen by 58.5% to 41.5%, confirming his leadership after five years in power. He has become the first incumbent president to be re-elected since the president and parliament terms were aligned on five-year terms. However, the outcome of the second-round race was much narrower than in 2017, and voter turnout was the lowest since 1969. The French political landscape is increasingly fragmented, with more than half of the votes going to populist candidates in the first round.

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