Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron faced the daunting challenge of uniting a deeply divided nation on Tuesday after winning re-election in a battle against Marine Le Pen that saw the far right come its closest yet to taking power. Centrist Macron won 58.54 percent of the vote in the second-round run-off compared with 41.46 for Le Pen, according to final results from the interior ministry.But his win over his far-right rival was narrower than their last face-off in 2017, when Macron won more than 66 percent. Macron acknowledged some of the challenges he now faces in his victory speech on Sunday night in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Addressing supporters late on Sunday, Macron vowed to heal rifts in a deeply divided country, promising a response to the "anger" that prompted many French to vote for the far right. The 44-year-old president now faces parliamentary elections in June, where keeping a majority will be critical for his ambitions.

Source: The Nation April 27, 2022 04:02 UTC