(new: more details and background)
PARIS (dpa-AFX) – In a landmark election between the liberal Emmanuel Macron and the right-wing national Marine Le Pen, the French will determine their new head of state and the future course of their country and the EU. The first projections were expected on Sunday immediately after the last polling stations closed at 8 p.m. Polls recently saw incumbent Macron ahead of right-wing EU critic Le Pen, who is attempting the highest state office for the third time. He also won more votes than Le Pen in the first ballot.
But the outcome remained uncertain until the very end. The decisive factor was who could win over more voters from foreign camps. The primary concern was the more than 7.7 million voters who voted for third-placed leftist Jean-Luc Mlenchon in the first round. Would they vote at all, and how many would end up supporting Macron or Le Pen?
In the first duel between Macron and Le Pen in the 2017 run-off election, a broad front of voters was formed who wanted to prevent the right-wing victory at all costs. Macron won with around two thirds of the votes. This year, too, numerous parties, eliminated candidates and social groups called for Macron to be elected. Leftist candidate Mlenchon did not.
But the effect of this “republican front” may be weaker this year, according to observers. Some voters are frustrated by the results of Macron’s first term – and there is a lot of criticism of the President’s behavior. In addition, the Le Pen right is now considered electorable for many French people.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 63.23 percent of voters cast their votes by 5 p.m. Voter turnout was thus almost 1.8 percentage points below the afternoon rate of the first election round on April 10. In comparison to the presidential election five years ago, participation has also fallen. At that time, 65.3 percent had already voted in the second round by the afternoon.
The two candidates competed with very different programs. During the election campaign, Macron promised to aim for full employment in his second term. The 44-year-old wants to raise the retirement age and strengthen the innovative power of the French economy. He is sticking to his clear commitment to the European Union and close cooperation with Germany.
Le Pen, on the other hand, once again stands for extreme and nationalist demands, even if she tried to present a more moderate and bourgeois image during the election campaign. For example, she wants to have preferential treatment for French people vis-à-vis foreigners enshrined in the constitution, for example with regard to social benefits and access to housing. If the 53-year-old were to win the elections, France would probably go on a confrontational course with the EU. Le Pen wants to put national law above EU law and renegotiate the contracts. She openly questions the hitherto important cooperation with Germany.
Not least because of this, the elections in Berlin and Brussels are being watched with suspense. It is also a question of whether the EU’s unified course against Russia and in support of Ukraine can be continued.
Both candidates voted in northern France on Sunday: Le Pen went to the ballot box in the morning in Hnin-Beaumont near Lille in northern France, Macron at noon in the seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage.
The French President is elected for five years. He significantly influences the country’s politics and often plays a more important role than the prime minister and head of government he appoints. A total of around 48.7 million French people are registered to vote./rbo/DP/jha