Macron wins re-election in France, holding off Le Pen

Emmanuel Macron has held off a challenge from powerhouse Marine Le Pen to retain the French presidency, according to projected results from French polling agencies.

Macron reelected in France

Macron, the incumbent, is projected to get 57 percent to 58.5 percent of the vote in Sunday’s second-round runoff, compared with 41.5 percent to 43 percent for Le Pen, his nationalist rival.

If the projections are accurate, Macron will triumph decisively, although by a smaller margin than in 2017, when he won by more than 30 percentage points to became France’s youngest president. While she fell short of the Élysée Palace again in her third presidential run, Le Pen still looks to have secured the most votes.

In a victory speech at Paris’ Champ de Mars, Macron thanked his supporters and promised a more “independent France” and “stronger Europe.”

Le Pen’s challenge to the country’s mainstream order and the West’s unity against Russia had officials in Europe and Washington anxiously following the election amid the war in Ukraine. She is sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin and skeptical of NATO and the European Union.

The Interior Ministry will announce the final result Monday.