Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron wins French elections


Emmanuel Macron is projected to be the new president-elect in the French presidential election.

Projected results show Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron won decisively, defeating far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65.5% to 34.5% to become, the country's youngest president at age 39.

Mr. Macron will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic's foundation in 1958.

He said that a "new chapter of hope and confidence is opening".

Mr. Macron's supporters gathered to celebrate in central Paris after the bitterly fought election concluded on Sunday amid massive security.

The Macron team said that the new president had had a "cordial" telephone conversation with Ms. Le Pen.

In a speech she thanked the 11 million people who had voted for her. She said the election had shown a division between "patriots and globalists" and called for the emergence of a new political force.

Ms. Le Pen said her National Front party needed to renew itself and that she would start the "deep transformation of our movement", vowing to lead it into upcoming parliamentary elections.

She also said she had wished Mr. Macron success in tackling the "huge challenges" facing him.

President François Hollande congratulated Mr. Macron saying, the result showed the French people wanted to unite around the "values of the republic".


SOURCE: BBC NEWS