France President Emmanuel Macron has won reelection, defeating far-right leader Marine Le Pen, multiple news outlets reported Sunday, citing projected results from French polling agencies.
According to CNN, Macron is projected to receive between 57 and 58.5 percent of the vote in Sunday’s second-round runoff, versus 41.5 to 43 percent for Le Pen.
Shortly after the projections were released, LePen conceded defeat in a speech to supporters, touting her unprecedented vote total as “a shining victory in itself.”
“The ideas we represent are reaching summits,” the pro-Putin candidate said, according to NBC News.
With his victory, Macron will become the first president since Jacques Chirac two decades ago to secure a second term in office in France. He now must confront domestic dissatisfaction as well as the effects of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war on the continent.
The final result will be announced by the country’s interior ministry on Monday.
