PARIS—The results were outside even the deepest aspirations of those who championed a continuation of rational rule for the country that is becoming the anchor of a democratic Europe.
Emmanuel Macron 58%
Marine Le Pen 42%
Opinion: Macron’s Win…A Big Blow to Putin
Paris (CNN)—France, Europe and the free world have survived a substantial challenge to their collective well-being. While some 1,200 miles away, Russian President Vladimir Putin suffered a profound blow as Emmanuel Macron defeated far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, a Putin ally, to become the first French President in a generation to win reelection.
The outcome of the contest between the two -- France's youngest leader since Napoleon and the three-time aspirant to become the nation's first female President -- was never a lock for either candidate. After a hard-fought first round among 12 candidates two weeks ago, the top two faced off in the runoff Sunday.
Shortly after the majority of polls had closed across the country, pollsters projected Macron to take 58.2% of the vote to Le Pen's 41.8%.
Voters simply opted, in these challenging times, for a safe middle ground rather than a firebrand far-right candidate who promised to rip up the economy and society and pivot France ever closer to Russia -- all in the interest of change that the French have never truly embraced. What Le Pen did do for most of her determined supporters was to demonstrate that she could be "presidential" -- but president of a France where a majority of the French people are unlikely to aspire to living.
The size of Macron's margin, despite the high abstention rate -- the highest in at least two decades -- could give him a substantial boost toward a definitive majority in the National Assembly when elections to fill its 577 seats are held in June……
For the moment, however, the West still has a staunch and loyal ally with democratic aspirations and principles to play an anchor role in the future of Europe -- one the White House will doubtless find appealing, as worried as the Biden administration was that Le Pen might find her way to the Élysée presidential palace.
The United States would do well, then, to cherish this victory.
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Vive la République
Vive la France !