French Presidential Election 2022: Macron wins second term by a smaller margin amid lower turnout

The people have spoken. French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the tense run-off election on Sunday.

His win makes Macron the first French President to win a second term in two decades, however, the far-right was closer than ever. The margin between the two candidates, while enough to secure a comfortable win, is narrower than in the 2017 polls.

As per France’s Ministry of Interior website, Macron received 58.5 per cent, with 18.8 million votes, while Le Pen stood at 41.5 per cent with 13.3 million votes. In the 2017 polls, the two candidates stood at 66.1 per cent with 20.7 million votes and 33.9 per cent with 10.6 million votes.

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Meanwhile, 6.35 per cent of voters cast blank ballots in the election, voting for neither candidate.

Social divisions out in open

Needless to say, the fresh election results point to a divided France. Even as Macron successfully prevented a political earthquake had his rival won, the results speak of dissatisfaction among people.

Acknowledging this, the French president said he would seek to make amends.

Taking to Twitter, he said, “To those who voted for me, not to support my ideas but to block those of the extreme right, your vote obliges me. This evening, I am no longer the candidate of one camp, but the President of all.”

As for Le Pen, this is her third defeat in the country’s presidential race, having previously contested in 2012 and 2017. Undoubtedly this would be a bitter pill to swallow, with all her attempts to soften her image, distancing herself and the party from the legacy of the party founder, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen.

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However, Le Pen hailed her score as a “brilliant victory” and promised to “carry on” her political career, vowing that she would never abandon the French.

“The ideas we represent have reached new heights… this result itself represents a brilliant victory,” she told a crowd of supporters.

Joining other challengers that faced defeat in the first phase of elections, she called for a new effort to hinder Macron’s second term at the June Parliamentary polls.

“This evening, we launch the great battle for the legislative elections,” Le Pen declared, expressing “hope” and encouraging opponents of the president to join her National Rally (RN) party.

Also read | Who is Emmanuel Macron? His life and political career in pictures 

As per the Interior Ministry website the election saw a turnout of just 71.9 per cent, which as per an AFP report is the lowest in any presidential election second-round run-off since 1969. 

The results brought a sigh of relief to Europe, which had feared that a Le Pen presidency would leave the region adrift after Brexit and German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s resignation from politics.

(With inputs from agencies)