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PRO-EUROPEAN CENTRIST Emmanuel Macron has promised to heal France’s divisions after crushing far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the pivotal presidential election today.
At 39, the pro-EU former investment banker will become France’s youngest-ever leader but faces a huge challenge to enact his programme while trying to unite a fractured and demoralised country.
“I will fight with all my strength against the divisions that are undermining us,” Macron said in a solemn address at his campaign headquarters on Sunday night.
As the extent of his resounding victory sank in, Macron told a sea of jubilant supporters waving French flags outside the Louvre Museum in Paris: “Tonight, France won.”
Latest partial results showed Macron winning 65.17% of the votes in the first ever election he has contested, far ahead of the nationalist Le Pen at 34.83%.
But in a sign of widespread voter disillusionment, one in three voters abstained or cast a blank ballot.
Western leaders, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, largely hailed the result after the shock of Britain’s vote to leave the EU and the election of Donald Trump in the United States.
Plea for unity
Macron reached out to Le Pen’s supporters in a plea for unity after a vicious election campaign that exposed deep economic and social divisions, as well as tensions provoked by identity and immigration.
“They voted out of anger, distress and sometimes conviction. I respect them,” he said.
I will do everything I can over the next five years to ensure that people no longer have any reason to vote for extremes.
Macron walked on to the stage to the strains of “Ode to Joy”, the anthem of the beleaguered European Union that he has promised to help overcome the wounds of Britain’s impending exit.
His 64-year-old wife Brigitte, who he wooed when she taught him drama at school, joined him on stage with her children and grandchildren.
Unknown three years ago, Macron is poised to become one of Europe’s most powerful leaders, bringing with him a hugely ambitious agenda of political and economic reform for France and the EU.
The result will resonate worldwide and particularly in Brussels and Berlin where leaders will breathe a sigh of relief at the defeat of Le Pen’s anti-EU, anti-globalisation programme.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said it was a “victory for a strong and united Europe” and the two had a “very warm” telephone call after his victory was announced, Macron’s team said.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said French voters had chosen a “European future.”
Donald Trump, whose beliefs are seen as radically different to Macron’s, tweeted congratulations on a “big win”.
The euro rallied to a six-month high against the dollar in Asian trade and other financial markets are expected to react positively.
The French election had been widely watched as a test of how high a tide of right-wing nationalism would rise after Brexit and Trump.
Le Pen, 48, had portrayed the election as a contest between Macron and “globalists” — those in favour of open trade, immigration and shared sovereignty — and her “patriotic” vision of strong borders and national identities.
In a short speech to supporters, Le Pen claimed a “historic, massive result” and said she had called Macron to wish him “success” in tackling the country’s challenges.
She said her National Front (FN) needed to undergo a “profound transformation” ahead of parliamentary elections in June. One of her aides said the party will change its name.
Obstacles
Macron must tackle formidable challenges as he attempts to enact his domestic agenda of cutting state spending, easing labour laws, boosting education in deprived areas and extending new protections to the self-employed.
The philosophy and literature lover is inexperienced, has no political party and must fashion a working parliamentary majority after legislative elections next month.
His En Marche movement — “neither of the left, nor right” — has vowed to field candidates in all 577 constituencies, with half of them women and half of them newcomers to politics.
“In order for us to act, we will need a majority in the National Assembly,” En Marche secretary general Richard Ferrand told TF1 television, adding that only “half of the journey” had been completed.
Many analysts are sceptical about Macron’s ability to win a majority with En Marche candidates alone, meaning he might have to form a coalition of lawmakers committed to his agenda.
Furthermore, his economic agenda, particularly plans to weaken labour regulations to fight stubbornly high unemployment, are likely to face fierce resistance from leftist opponents.
He also inherits a country still in a state of emergency following a string of Islamist-inspired attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 230 people.
His first ceremonial duty comes on Monday when he appears alongside outgoing Socialist President Francois Hollande in Paris to commemorate the Nazi capitulation on 8 May 1945.
Rollercoaster
Macron won after one of the most unpredictable elections in modern history marked by scandal, repeated surprises and a last-minute hacking attack on the his campaign.
Hundreds of thousands of emails and documents stolen from his campaign were dumped online on Friday, leading the candidate to call it an attempt at “democratic destabilisation.”
The election saw voters eject establishment figures, including one-time conservative favourite Francois Fillon.
Unpopular Hollande was the first to bow to the rebellious mood in December as he became the first sitting president not to seek re-election in the French fifth republic, founded in 1958.
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1 in 2 people are either male or female
Surely that should be everyone is either male or female.
I’m 21 days smoke free :-)
Great keep it up its hard for you but well worth the effort !
Well done Aisling :)
Either make it illegal, or shut up about it. Useless story.
bollocks to that – how many hours are lost each year “outside puffing”. How many sick days a year in HSE?
They can’t afford to smoke anymore simple as…..
I’d be afraid to know the statistic of smokers in germany, nearly everybody smokes, young and old.
Yeah but there’s massive differences in Germany,
- Smoking adverts exist on billboards and bus stops
- Shops have adverts up in windows and behind the counter
- Cigs are openly for sale, one example is in Aldi where instead of sweets at the checklike like you have in Ireland they have cigs…hundreds of the things!
- Many streets have cig vending machines that can be used anytime.
Goes to show that Ireland has done something right,
As much as i dont like smoking its not illegal for god sake so i dont understand the point of the article…Who gives a sh*t!!
I’m all for the non-smoking campuses but the enforcement just isn’t there, if anyone has been to CUH you can hear that voice announcing that “Cork University Hospital is a smoke-free campus, the smoke from your cigarette is directly effecting patients in the breast cancer and cardiac unit overhead etc etc” but patients, staff and visitors still smoke there regardless, plenty porters bring the patients out for a smoke no bother!
Many (not ALL) smokers have no regard for anyone else, especially in places where people have health issues.
Anyone with asthma will tell you the problems that people smoking around them can cause, the last thing such a person needs is to walk through a cloud of smoke as they leave a hospital!\
Very true, Martin. I have to run the gauntlet of smoke every 4 weeks when attending the respiratory clinic. It’s ridiculous, but I do think it’s slowly improving.
The gauntlet of smoke?
Oh the humanity!!!
First world problems strike again.
I quite enjoyed mixing that particular metaphor, Alan ;)
You might say it’s a first-world problem, and possibly it is; if I had been born in the developing world I’d be dead long before now. Remember, though, this is a hospital. People shouldn’t have to risk their own health to any degree just to pass through the doors.
What a pile of drivel?
This is about spending more money to help HSE smokers quit. I know of one person who availed of this scheme… a complete waste of money as she still puffs 20-30 per day. If HSE staff want to quit let them do so with their own cash and not the tax payer.
I say they should fire all HSE staff that cannot keep their grubby yellow fingered mitts off of the cancer sticks for the 8 hours a day they are required to be at work.
Get a grip of yourself….smoking is a personal choice. Sack the nurses, then who would be there to look after the whingers like you? Now im going to make a lovely cup of tea & have a lovely cigarette to go with it.
No doubt you won’t be worrying about the medical services, hospital beds and hospital budgets that won’t be available for your children and relatives now or in the future when they need them, because the selfish, coffin nail addicted, people like yourself are using them all up – coughing up your lungs and polluting the place while you die slowly at huge expense to the taxpayer. That won’t worry you one little bit will it ?
Nope!! It sure won’t u pathetic do gooding whinge
Well when youre out dogooding and moralling bullshitting out of you,make sure and berate the fatties in supermacs with their clogged arteries,and the alcoholics taking up valuable breathing space,and the junkies,they all need hospital beds too,at least smokers will agree with you that its a disgusting addiction,but the fatties all go around miffed about why theyre fat,as if it was a fcuking mystery!
Well said Barry!!
U sound like you could do with a smoke, would u ever light up!!! Sorry I meant lighten up……
You sound like you could be paid for by the tobacco – profits before people – industry….
The tobacco industry could pay me all day long if they wanted, I’d be delighted!!!
U sound like you could do with a smoke, would u ever light up!!! Sorry I meant lighten up……
So?
have your say