Toronto - French Presidential election candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen have both qualified to advance to May 7th’s all-important run-off.
Toronto – French Presidential election candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen have both qualified to advance to May 7th’s all-important run-off.
Projections from today’s vote have declared that Macron and Le Pen will face each other in the second and final round of presidential voting in France.
According to BBC News, speaking in front of his devoted supporters, front-runner Macron declared “We have changed the face of French political life in one year.” If declared May 7th’s winner, he promised to be a President for all French people and all French “patriots,” in the face of the nationalist wave being ridden by his opponent, Le Pen. Macron vowed to be a “voice for hope for our country and Europe.”
Next to Macron’s promise of unity and hope, Le Pen’s message to her supporters fell on the familiar tone of nationalist, insular rhetoric. Speaking in the small mining town of Henin-Beaumont, she began with a moving version of the Marseillaise, before urging voters who had backed other candidates to join her circle and rally around the French flag.
Le Pen, acknowledged that the second round of campaigning would not be easy. Leftist voters in France are predicted to move quickly to back Macron. According to the same source, a more senior member of her National Front (NF) party, believes Le Pen is up to the task before her.
European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, was quick to express his congratulatory message to Macron. Frederica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, tweeted “The result is the hope and future of our generation.”
Voter turnout in France is historically high and Saturday was no exception, with 80 percent of the eligible voting population turning out to cast their ballots. An estimated 50,000 police officials were on hand to answer the call for heightened security after Thursday’s Champs Elysees attack.
