President Emmanuel Macron became the first French leader to win re-election in 20 years, after comfortably defeating rival Marine Le Pen, a far-right challenger.
According to media reports, speaking to a crowd in front of Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars, Macron said this was a victory for “a more independent France and a stronger Europe.”
And added, “Our country is riddled with so many doubts, so many divisions. We will have to be strong, but nobody will be left by the side of the road.”
What dominated the campaign?
The ongoing war declared by Russia over Ukraine and the rising cost of living dominated the campaign.
According to reports, Macron became only the third president since the founding of modern France in 1958 to win twice at the ballot box. And, the first in 20 years, since the then incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Ms Le Pen’s father in 2002.
In her third attempt to become president, Ms Le Pen conceded defeat and has been quoted in the media bitterly criticizing the “brutal and violent methods” of Macron. She did not explain what she meant and vowed to fight on in an effort to get a large number of representatives in legislative elections in June.
French election results
The results come at a time when the Ukraine-Russia crisis continues. And it shows that the French rejected a candidate who was hostile to NATO, to the US, to the European Union and to its fundamental values – no French citizens to be discriminated against because they are Muslims.
The foreign minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian said the result reflected “the mobilization of French people for the maintenance of their values and against a narrow vision of France.”
Why did Macron win?
Possibly because of his effective handling of the global pandemic of COVID-19 crisis, his handling of the economy during tough times and his political agility.
Le Pen
She had an anti-immigrant nationalist program, an extreme right winger and her National Rally party joined the mainstream. She is also known to be a long time sympathizer with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and the French perhaps thought she will follow policies which will weaken the united allied front to save Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, declared that Macron’s win was “a vote of confidence in Europe.” Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, congratulated the French leader and called France “one of our closest and most important allies.”
Challenges
In his second term Mr Macron will be facing huge national and international challenges. He is constitutionally barred from running for the office the third time and is not expected to face major political pressure.
India-France Defence Cooperation
Since 1998 the strategic dialogue has grown over the years. And various sectors including space, cyber security, nuclear energy, intelligence sharing, counter terrorism, are now part of the comprehensive dialogue between the two countries.
The armed forces of both sides take active part in various bilateral as well as multilateral military drills. The first naval drill between the two navies started in 2001, and the air forces in 2004 and the armies in 2011 – all these have now become a regular feature.
Earlier this month, the 20th edition of India-France Joint Staff talks took place in New Delhi and focused on deepening defence cooperation and on identifying new initiatives in strengthening defence engagements.
Both countries, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, are already nurturing a high-quality dialogue on maritime security, enabling them to raise strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific. This partnership is a step-forward in India-France cooperation for maritime security.
With Mr Macron winning the second time, the defence cooperation between India and France are expected to grow more and also deeper cooperation in the civil nuclear as well as in the co-production of military platforms is expected to get a boost.
