Macron Wins Second Term, Vows to Tackle France’s ‘Doubts and Divisions’
French President Emmanuel Macron promised to respond to the “doubts and divisions” besetting France after he received 58.5 percent of votes (FT) to his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen’s 41.5 percent in yesterday’s election. Turnout was around 72 percent (TheEconomist), nearly three percentage points lower than in the last runoff in 2017, when the two also faced one another. Leaders from the United States and European Union (EU) congratulated Macron, with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi calling his victory “splendid news for all of Europe.”
In her concession speech, Le Pen hailed a “shared desire for major change” among her backers. Support for France’s far right has risen since Le Pen’s father won 18 percent of the presidential vote in 2002. Legislative elections in June will test whether Macron’s party will keep its majority.
Analysis
“A Macron victory [means] that the three Group of Seven (G7) members of the EU—France, Germany, and Italy—are governed by unabashedly pro-EU leaders, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in Rome. It could be the meeting of minds that the European project has been waiting for since the early 1990s,” CFR’s Matthias Matthijs writes.
“An electoral victory that might seem a landslide in another country—Macron beat Le Pen by 58.5 per cent of the vote—disguises the reality that the nationalist, Eurosceptic, anti-immigration far right is stronger than at any time since the second world war,” the Financial Times’ Victor Mallet, Sarah White, and Leila Abboud write.
Europe
Top U.S. Officials Visit Kyiv, Pledge Further Aid
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pledged more than $322 million (DW) in new military financing and $165 million in ammunition sales to Ukraine. They also said that American diplomats would return to the country starting next week.
CFR provides comprehensive coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Pacific Rim
South Korean Delegation Visits Japan Seeking Warmer Ties
The head of the delegation said the countries agreed to dialogue (Yonhap) on sources of friction including Japan’s forced labor and sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II. Seoul’s envoys also spoke with Japan’s trade minister about export curbs that Tokyo imposed in 2019.
China: After fifteen symptomatic COVID-19 cases were detected (SCMP) on Saturday, authorities in Beijing locked down (SCMP) dozens of residential compounds and ordered mandatory testing in an eastern district of the city.
South and Central Asia
India, EU Agree to Deepen Trade and Technology Ties
India and the EU announced the launch (Reuters) of a high-level trade and technology council during European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen’s visit to New Delhi.
India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited India-administered Jammu and Kashmir (PTI) to lay foundation stones for new hydroelectric projects. It was his first visit to the region since New Delhi stripped it of its special status in 2019. Pakistan’s foreign ministry called the visit “yet another ploy to fake normalcy” in the disputed region.
Oman Facilitates Release of Foreigners Detained in Yemen
Oman’s foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia helped arrange permits (Reuters) for the fourteen foreigners to leave the country, where they had been detained by the Houthi rebels.
Egypt/Jordan/UAE: The three countries held talks in Egypt (The National) on coordinating to de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem. They also urged a political resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Militia Fighters Kill Dozens in Attack on Darfur Village
Aid workers and UN officials said Arabmilitants killed at least 150 people (NYT) in one of Sudan’s deadliest episodes between Arabs and non-Arabs in years.
Rwanda/Uganda: Rwandan President Paul Kagame is visiting Uganda (New Times) as part of efforts to mend ties between the countries. It is Kagame’s first visit to the country in four years.
Americas
Nicaragua Expels Envoys, Closes OAS Office
The expulsion of diplomats (MercoPress) from the Organization of American States (OAS) follows Nicaragua’s November announcement that it would leave the regional body.
El Salvador: The government extended a state of emergency (AP) imposed to fight gangs after a spate of violence last month. Civil rights groups have criticized President Nayib Bukele’s use of emergency powers.
United States
New Mexico Officials Sign Emergency Declarations Over Wildfires
Fires are burning (AP) in nearly half the counties in the drought-ravaged state.
